Summer Sun, Dawning Chaos
by C. Theron Vulpin
Summary: The Summer Sun Celebration approaches and faces both familiar and new converge in Ponyville to take part.  Multiple story-lines starring Trixie, the Order-naries, the Mane 6, and Luna.  Act III  of 4  now complete.
1. Act I: Chapter 1: Enter the Thespians

On the last day of spring, the sun shone from its late-morning position, its light filtering around a seemingly random distribution of white clouds that floated between it and the town of Ponyville. On the edge of the town's territory, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow-striped mane and an orange earth pony walked between the trees of a vast apple orchard, each bearing a pair of baskets full of early-ripened apples to a cart parked on the main path leading out of Sweet Apple Acres. The earth pony was smiling slightly, but her eyes betrayed some confusion as she looked at her friend. "I'm grateful to you fer helping me gather these apples RD," she said, "But I have to admit, this is probably the last way I'd have expected you to offer to help around the farm."

"Hello," Rainbow Dash said, "Element of Loyalty, remember? I'll never leave a friend in need if I can help it."

"Yeah, but I didn't exactly ask," Applejack pointed out teasingly, "You ain't by chance trying to avoid clearing the skies are you?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Please," she said, "You, me, and Twilight all know I can have the sky cleared out in no time. I'm going to keep the clouds up for shade and resting spots until everypony else is done with their jobs." She smiled at AJ and added, "I was kinda hoping I could get first crack at your pies."

Applejack chuckled as she gave Dash a sideways glance. "You'll have to race Pinkie Pie fer…" she trailed off as her ears picked up the sound of raised voices out on the main road. "Huh," she said, "I ain't expecting the clan fer a few hours yet. Wonder what that is." She caught Rainbow's smirk and the pair broke into a gallop for the farm gate, the farm-pony expertly bucking most of her load into the apple cart as she passed it while the pegasus ignored the occasional apple bouncing out of her basket. Big Macintosh paused in his approach from the farmhouse as he saw the two mares streak by and then followed them at his normal sedate pace, picking up spilled apples as he went.

Applejack beat Rainbow to the gate by a nose, but the pair's normal debate over the victory was set aside as they watched a large caravan wagon being pulled by a mustard-yellow earth pony with a mane and tail striped red, green, and blue, and whose cutie mark appeared to be a mask, although it was obscured by both distance and the angle of his body in relation to the mares. Sitting on the riding board of the caravan was a slightly heavy-set caramel-cream pegasus with a grizzled kelp-green mane and wearing a salt- and oil-stained jacket. The earth pony was whining dramatically. "This is torture is what it is!" he exclaimed.

"Quit yer belly-achin' already!" the pegasus snapped, "I've had it up to here with you. Be quiet and pull, or I'll lay a lash in yer sorry hide!"

"We don't have a whip, smart-flank," the earth pony replied snarkily.

"I'll improvise," the pegasus shot back, "I'm sure Cabbage has enough ribbons fer me to braid into a whip or somethin'. You've barely been pulling for two hours; what do you have to-"

"I'm bloody _hungry_ is the problem!" the earth pony shouted.

"How can you be hungry after all you ate this morning?"

The earth pony stopped in his tracks and looked back at the rider with an icy glare. "So that's it," he said, "I break my fast with one old pear and suddenly I'm a glutton? Where do you get off- Oh wait, that was the _last _pear, wasn't it, old salt? You're just sore because I beat you to it!"

"Quin, Barnacle!" a female voice shouted from the rear of the wagon, "Both of you cut it out and get this thing moving or I'll make _both_ of you pull!"

Big Macintosh arrived at the gate in time to catch the end of the exchange and gave his wheat stalk a thoughtful chew before saying, "If I were them, I'd have had them both pulling from the get-go. Two ponies workin' together can go three times as far."

Applejack looked askance at her brother. "What kind of mathematics are you using now Mac?" she asked, "That just don't add up at all."

"Don't make it any less true," Macintosh replied calmly.

Rainbow shrugged the baskets off her back and flew toward the wagon, her curiosity sparked by the feeling that she'd heard the female voice several times before. The stallions didn't notice as she flew over them and alighted behind the wagon, startling an azure unicorn mare with silvery hair and wearing a purple cape covered in stars. "Well," Rainbow said with a smug look, "If it isn't Trixie the Boastful."

"Hello Rainbow Dash," Trixie said in a level tone as she recovered from the surprise and brushed past the pegasus, "Surprised to see me?"

"Yeah," Dash said, turning to follow Trixie, "But I'm even more surprised to see you with… uh… other ponies."

"They are friends," the showmare said, giving Rainbow a small smile, "We're all just a little cranky because we haven't had much to eat lately." She came to a stop as she found herself nose-to-nose with Applejack.

"Howdy," the orange pony said flatly, "Hope you don't mind me askin' what yer business is here?"

Trixie backed up a couple steps and returned AJ's flat look. "The Summer Sun Celebration is tomorrow," she said, "and among the festivities will be a performance by us," she gestured dramatically at the wagon and the stallions, "The Great and Power Trixie's Traveling Thespians."

"Thespi- what now?" Applejack asked.

"Thespians," Trixie repeated, rolling her eyes, "Actors, in a more common way of speaking. Allow me to introduce Harlequin," the pony in the harness put on a goofy grin and waved, "and Captain Barnacle Salt."

"Former captain," the pegasus clarified, "I ain't sailed in near half a dozen years."

"Sailed?" Rainbow asked, flying up to Salt's level, "Like, on the ocean?"

"Aye ma'am," the grizzled pony said.

"Wow," Rainbow said, impressed, "I always thought sailing was more of a unicorn thing."

"Ah, ya get ponies of all stripes," Salt said with a twinkle in his eye, "Not to mention zebras of even more stripes. But don't start askin' fer any tales missy. I save those fer the stage." Rainbow's mouth worked a little as she thought over the other pegasus's words, and then face-hoofed with a groan when she realized the pun. Barnacle chuckled.

"Y'all are really gonna perform tomorrow?" Applejack asked Trixie, eyeing her suspiciously, "This is the first I've heard of it."

"Same here," Dash said, alighting next to her friend, "Of course, neither of us is in charge of the entertainment, AJ."

"Could you tell me who is?" Trixie asked politely, "Is it Pinkie Pie by chance?"

"Nah," Applejack said, "She's with me, Carrot Top, and a few others taking care of the food. You'd best head into town and find Twilight or the Mayor; they'll point you in the right direction. Oh, and one more thing," she added as Trixie nodded and turned away to return to the back of the wagon. The showmare gave her a curious look as she twisted to present one of her apple baskets. "I might not like ya much Trixie, but it wouldn't be right ta send you and yer buddies off without something ta eat. I can spare a few apples."

"Thank you very much," Trixie said, levitating four apples out of the basket, "I hope you'll give our show a fair chance. I promise you it will be quite unlike anything you've seen from me before." She gave one apple each to Harlequin and Barnacle Salt, who both munched on them gratefully, and carried the other two back into the wagon. Once she was inside, Harlequin threw his weight into the harness and began hauling the wagon down the road into town.

* * *

><p>With food in his belly, Harlequin's steps had a happy spring as he pulled the wagon through Ponyville, whistling an aimless tune every so often. Barnacle sat proudly on the riding board, waving to the ponies who stopped to look at the large conveyance. He was nearly thrown off when Harlequin reared back in response to a sudden burst of light and a pair of ponies materializing less than a foot in front of him. One, a brown earth pony mare with a darker brown mane, blinked in surprise at the yellow stallion, and then turned to look at her companion, an ash-grey unicorn stallion with a red-and-orange mane and tail styled to resemble flames. Both were wearing saddlebags that looked well-filled. The unicorn was grinning broadly and danced in place for half a second.<p>

"Ha ha," he said, "It actually held up! Now, where to first?"

"How about apologizing for almost teleporting us onto this poor guy?" the earth pony asked, motioning behind her with a toss of her head.

"Hm?" The ash-grey unicorn looked over at Harlequin. "Oh. No worries; fail-safes in the spell would've moved us away from his position. They actually might have at that… Onward and outward Gale, let's get busy."

"Ash!" the brown earth pony shouted as she galloped away in the unicorn's wake. Harlequin exchanged a glance and a shrug with Barnacle and prepared to move on when a sliding window opened behind the pegasus and Trixie glared out.

"What is the hold up now?" she asked.

"We barely avoided a collision," Barnacle explained, pointing at the retreating pair. Trixie strained to follow Barnacle's hoof, then raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I think I know those two," she mused, but then shook her head and said, "Never mind. Let's get going. Look for the tall pavilion in the town square. I'm pretty sure that'll be the center of the preparations."

"Aye aye ma'am," Barnacle said. Trixie closed the window and Harlequin put his weight into the harness again.

There were fewer ponies in the town square than anypony in the wagon expected there to be, and those that were there continued the earlier trend of pausing in their work for a few moments to watch before resuming their tasks. Harlequin parked the wagon to the left of the stairs leading to the pavilion's porch and unhitched himself while Barnacle knocked on the sliding window. "We're here," he said when Trixie opened the window.

"Finally," Trixie said with a sigh and closed the window. Barnacle jumped down from the riding board and joined Harlequin in walking around to the back. They waited patiently as they heard a quick, muffled conversation come from inside before Trixie threw the door open and stepped out into plain view wearing both her trademark hat and cape and a long-suffering expression on her face. "Quin," she said, "keep Cabbage company if you please; the poor thing is _still_ overcome with butterflies. Barnacle, with me." Harlequin, grateful for a chance to get off his hooves, rushed into the wagon as soon as Trixie moved out of his way while Barnacle fell into step next to the showmare. The pair entered the pavilion to find some of the crowded activity they'd missed outside. Unicorns and pegasi were milling about hanging ribbons, banners, and tapestries emblazoned with the Royal Sun under the direction of a white coated unicorn with an elegant purple mane standing on the balcony at the back of the room. Trixie paid her and the others no mind as she made her way across the floor toward a low stage below the balcony.

"My word. Trixie, is that you?" Trixie and Barnacle paused and looked up at the balcony to see Rarity looking back down at them. "Well of course it's you," the white unicorn said, "I can't think of a single pony other than yourself with the conviction to wear such a distinct ensemble, especially this season. And who is that rugged stallion with you?"

"Oh, I like this town," Barnacle muttered to Trixie with a cheeky grin, "They got charmers 'cross the whole of pony-kind."

Trixie rolled her eyes and said, "Rarity, Barnacle Salt. We're looking for Twilight Sparkle or your Mayor."

"I see," Rarity said, thinking, "They were in the Mayor's office reviewing the preparations last I saw of them. Just head through those curtains in front of you and it'll be the first door in front of you to your left."

"Thank ye kindly fair lady," Barnacle said with a bow that made Rarity chuckle demurely, and then he trotted to catch up with Trixie as she passed through the curtains at the back of the stage area. They found themselves in a hallway that stretched around the perimeter of the building to their left and quickly terminated in a staircase on their right. The door to the mayor's office was easy to pick out, since it had a small brass plaque reading "Ivory Scroll, Mayor" on it. Barnacle raised a hoof to knock, but Trixie just grabbed the latch in her magic and opened the door.

Inside, an old tan earth pony mare and a lavender unicorn looked up from the clipboards spread on the table between them to see who was interrupting them. "Trixie!" Twilight Sparkle said in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"Can't you guess?" Trixie asked, taking a proud stance and closing her eyes, "I am here to inform you that The Great and Powerful Trixie's Traveling Thespians have arrived and are ready to discuss our placement in tomorrow's festivities." She held her pose for several seconds and then cracked one eye open when neither Twilight nor the Mayor responded. She saw them both giving her blank looks and dropped out of her stage persona. "What?" she asked.

"Well," Twilight said levitating a clipboard and flipping to the third sheet of paper on it, "No offense, but given your reputation in town, don't you think it's a little presumptuous to just roll into town out of the blue and expect to be given a spot? We've already got a lot of local talent to choose from for the entertainment…" She trailed off when she glanced up and saw the confused look on Trixie's face.

"I sent a letter ahead of us to inform those in charge of planning that we would be coming," the showmare said, and then looked at Barnacle out of the corner of her eyes, "Which I was assured made it to the post office?"

"Dropped it off and paid the postage myself," the pegasus said.

"Was it addressed to any pony in particular?" Twilight asked. Trixie shook her head. "Then it should have ended up in your box Miss Mayor," the lavender unicorn said to the old earth pony.

The Mayor pursed her lips in thought. "I don't recall receiving anything from out of town recently besides the announcement that Princess Celestia will be in Fillydelphia this year and that Ponyville is to host the celebration for ponies who can't or don't want to travel across the country to see her." She gave Trixie an apologetic smile. "It seems your letter got lost I'm afraid."

Trixie sighed and rubbed her head. "I swear," she said, "There must be a curse on this town that makes me look like a fool every time I set hoof in it…"

Twilight looked at her clipboard again, and then nodded and said, "I'll tell you what Trixie. I was just about to check on Lyra, she's in charge of organizing the music and acts for the after-sunrise party. Come with me and we'll see if we can talk her into giving you a chance to try out for a spot"

"You're more than welcome to stay and enjoy the celebration either way," the Mayor put in.

"Thank ye kindly," Barnacle said, "We're bound to stay here for a spell anyway. We're not exactly shipshape for moving on to another town at the moment anyway."

"Come on," Trixie said, giving the grizzled mariner a light shove as she went back out into the hallway, "Let's get this sorted out before the sun goes down, shall we?"

"This way," Twilight said as she left the office and went out into the main room. After a brief pause to praise Rarity and her helpers for their work, Twilight led Trixie and Barnacle outside and stopped again to look at the stage wagon. "That's new," she said.

"There are four ponies in our troupe," Trixie explained, "my old wagon could fit two comfortably, so we had to pool our resources to get this one. I plan to decorate it with our names once we can afford to."

"Are you doing ok, money-wise?" Twilight asked with some concern as the trio resumed walking again, heading toward the fields near the school house.

Trixie snorted and started to shrug the topic off with a flippant comment, but Barnacle cut in with a frank admission: "We've been short on coin for the last week or so. It doesn't help that Harlequin didn't have a bit to his name when Trixie recruited him. The name's Barnacle Salt by the way, former sailor out to share the marvels of the sea with all the landlubbers of Equestria."

"Nice to meet you," the lavender unicorn said, "I'm Twilight Sparkle." She looked over at Trixie with a concerned frown. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"Just help me get permission to perform tomorrow," Trixie said, "Once I've proven once and for all that the Great and Powerful Trixie is an act worthy of Ponyville's approval, I'll be able to negotiate a short series of full-length, ticketed shows to refill our cashbox."

"Can do," Twilight said, glad to hear the confidence in the showmare's tone.

* * *

><p>Twilight and company found Lyra reclining on a bench rubbing her eyes with her front hooves with a pained grimace on her face. The source of her stress was easy to locate, for on the small stage that had been erected down the street from the school, and which the green unicorn's bench was situated in front of, the trio of fillies known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders were evidently taking another shot at earning their cutie marks by acting out some sort of play. The scene apparently called for lots of movement, and Trixie's face was a picture of bemusement as she watched the little ponies repeatedly trip over one another and succeed in knocking over most of their impromptu set pieces. "Local talent you said?" she asked Twilight sarcastically as Applebloom tried to arrest a fall by grabbing the curtain and pulling it off of its rings.<p>

"OK!" Lyra shouted, throwing her hooves up before sliding off the bench onto all fours, "Girls, thank you for that… interesting show. I'll have to get back to you on my decision, so run along."

"Thanks Ms. Heartstrings!" Sweetie Bell responded as the fillies ran off.

Lyra heaved a deep sigh and muttered something to herself before spotting Twilight. "Ah heh heh," she said with a nervous smile, "Don't worry Twi, I won't be letting them do anything… Assuming I can think of a nice way to let them down… Anyway, Fluttershy's bird chorus is doing well, Vinyl's got her mixes ready for tonight, and why do you have Trixie with you?" She gave the caped showmare a suspicious look.

"Trixie is here," the azure unicorn said, stepping forward purposefully, "to request your consideration for including The Great and Powerful Trixie's Traveling Thespians as part of tomorrow's shows."

"Traveling Thespians?" Lyra said incredulously, "As in more than just you?"

"Are you surprised that there are ponies capable of working alongside the Great and Powerful Trixie?" Trixie replied, and then pointed back at Barnacle Salt, "There is one, and two more wait at our stage." Lyra looked at the yellow pegasus, but her frown remained in place.

"Just give her, er, them a chance Lyra," Twilight said, stepping forward to stand next to Trixie, "Ponies can change for the better, and I for one am curious to see how Trixie's improved her act."

Lyra gave Twilight a curious look, but then sighed and said, "Fine. Show me what you've got and I'll try to keep an open mind about it."

"You won't be disappointed, I promise you," Trixie said with a bow and flourish of her cape. "Barnacle," she said when she stood up, "Run on ahead and tell Harlequin to set the stage for a preview."

"Aye aye Trixie," Barnacle said, snapping a salute, "What about Mar? Should I…?"

"Hmm," Trixie said, looking at Twilight and Lyra appraisingly, "Yes, there's no reason to hold anything back. Get her prepared." The seafarer nodded and took flight, whirling around to head back into town.

"Who's Mar?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, you'll see," Trixie answered with a coy smile.


	2. Chapter 2: Exposition ex Deus

The sun had not been on its daily journey for very long when Gale arrived at the gates of Canterlot Castle. The guards took one look at the summons she held in her mouth before waving with their wings for her to enter. Gale gave them a thankful nod before stashing the paper in her ever-present saddlebags and trotting into the castle. Once inside, she walked with purpose and determination up the foyer stairs and into the hallway of the royal residency wing. Wearing only her saddlebags and with her relatively short mud-brown mane left to fend for itself, the earth pony was quite out of place in the courtly setting, but her attitude combined with her history and connections meant that none of the guards or castle staff that she passed paid her more than a glance. Up ahead, a door opened, and Gale adjusted her course to veer around whoever was about to step out, only to find herself forced to stop as Blueblood emerged, saw her, and imposed himself in her path with a look of clear disapproval and disgust. "What is this?" the unicorn noble asked, "Who let you in?"

"I don't know their names," Gale answered, "but they were admirably quick to admit me when they saw this." She pulled the summons back out and held it at an angle to prompt Blueblood to grab it in his magic and free up her mouth. "As you can see," she said when he took the bait, "you're about to make me late for a meeting with Princess Celestia."

"Oh," Blueblood said, giving the paper a quick read, "You're one of the Order-naries. Hmph. That does not excuse the fact that you are in the royal castle, about to approach royalty Herself, and you look like something that crawled out of a tunnel." He flicked the paper toward Gale, who waited for it to drift to the floor before picking it up and putting it away.

"I don't make a habit of presenting myself as anything but what I am," she said, "and what I am is down to earth. I invent, build, and repair things, which is no small feat when all you have is four hooves and a mouth to work with. I am not nobility, a courtier, or the least bit inclined towards 'classical training.' The Princesses – both of them – know and respect that when they ask for me, _this_ is what they'll get. Now excuse me, I'm late." She brushed past the noble before he could respond, then looked over her shoulder and added, "Besides, Ashen Blaze can get away with talking back to them. My appearance must be trivial compared to that."

Blueblood sputtered as Gale trotted down the hall, head and tail held high. "Now… now just a moment you," he said, trotting after her.

"I don't have the time, nor am I in the mood to talk to you anymore, your lordship or whatever your proper title is," Gale said, not even looking back, "Feel free to complain to Celestia, _after_ my business with her is finished."

"I believe I shall," Blueblood said. Gale didn't reply, and the two walked in tense silence until they reached the door to Celestia's suite. Sitting at their posts on either side of the door were a rather distinct pair of Royal Guards. Rather than the traditional matching set of grim-faced white pegasi, they were a golden yellow color that nearly matched their armor, and one was a unicorn stallion while the other was a pegasus mare.

"Soul Mage and Gold Heart," Gale said, "What did you two do to earn this post?"

"What did you do to score Prince Blueblood as an escort?" Soul Mage replied, quirking an eyebrow.

"I showed up," Gale deadpanned, "Is it ok for me to just head in?"

"I dunno," Soul said, acting thoughtful, "What kind of guards would we be if we just let anypony from off the streets walk past us?" His smirk wavered slightly when Blueblood gave him an approving look while Gale waited patiently for the inevitable follow-up to a Soul Mage quip.

Never one to shirk her role, Gold Heart rolled her eyes and gave Soul a playful slap to the back of his head with a wing as she moved to open the door for Gale. "Go on," she said to the earth pony, "she's expecting you."

"Thanks," Gale said, nodding to both guards before walking through the door and into Celestia's study. Blueblood made to follow her, but Heart shut the door and took up her post again.

"Sorry, your relatively-moderate-highness," Soul said, "Private audience." Blueblood looked at the unicorn with a mild glare for a moment, and then sat down next to him.

"Then I shall wait here," he said simply.

Within the study, Gale found Princess Celestia lying on a large plush cushion, her legs tucked under her body as she perused a scroll, making an occasional mark on it with a levitating feather quill. The alicorn's pastel mane and tail flowed off to her right in their private breeze, the tail coming dangerously close to touching the ashes in the nearby fireplace but always curling away at the last second. Gale came a stop a respectful distance away, bowing her head when Celestia glanced her way.

"One moment," the Princess said, looking back at the scroll. She finished reading it, signed it with an elegant flourish, and then rolled it up and set it aside. "Gale," she said, brushing her forelock aside to look at the brown earth pony with both eyes, "How are you? Out of the four Order-naries, you are the one I seem to have spent the least time getting to know."

"I'm doing fine Princess," Gale said, "Don't worry about my feeling neglected. It's been more my own choices than anything else that keeps me out of the castle. I've always been a little separate from the others; they're all magical in some way while I specialize in technology. I'm used to not being seen in the same light, and that made me, if anything, as unique and valuable valuable to our efforts back home as Ash was."

"That is good to hear," Celestia said, "As it turns out, Ash is the reason I called for you."

"What's wrong?" Gale asked, growing serious, "Should I go get Heart and Soul, so they can help?"

"It's nothing drastic," Celestia assured, "I just think Ash has become too wrapped up in his work lately. Not just his attempts to identify the block on his natural magic, but also guarding Discord against… something that wishes to free him." The princess's expression darkened for a moment, but then she shook her head and continued, "Anyway, as his friend, I want you to make him take a break and attend the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville."

"Relaxation and a change of scenery?" Gale asked, tilting her head to the side slightly, then smirked and said, "The latter will be a piece of cake, but getting Ashen Blaze to relax is a herculean task. I think I know of a few tricks that'll work though." She bowed deeply to the alicorn. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention your highness. With your permission, I'll go corner Ash right away and drag him down the mountain by his tail if necessary."

"Go," Celestia said with a nod. Gale stood up from her bow and turned to leave as Celestia got up and followed her with the scroll floating along beside her. After informing Heart and Soul of her plans, the earth pony ran down the hall at a fast trot to find some stairs that would take her down to Ash's workroom in the castle's underground levels. As Celestia left the room, she found herself confronted by the tall, white, blonde-maned unicorn who bore the title of "prince" by virtue of inheritance from an ancestor and by being the most vocal advocate of courtly manners. "Good morning Blueblood," she said warmly.

"My dear princess," Blueblood said, "I must speak with you on a most urgent matter."

"Every one of your 'matters' is urgent," Celestia said, "Can you please be more specific? I must be on my way to Fillydelphia shortly."

"It is a matter of protocol," Blueblood began, but then stopped with his jaw hanging when Celestia brushed past him and started down the hall, heading deeper into the residential wing.

"I know what you're about to bring up Blueblood," she said, "and that can certainly wait until after the Summer Sun Celebration is concluded. Try to enjoy yourself today. Heart, Soul, come with me please." The two golden-yellow ponies quickly left their spots and fell into place on either side of the princess. Blueblood watched them walk away for a bit, then closed his mouth and returned to his apartment in a foul mood.

Celestia led her guards down the hall and in to another suite, this one arranged in a stiffer, more impersonal manner than Celestia's, giving it the air of a museum display rather than a living space. The white alicorn sat down on a dark blue cushion that was a little too small for her, and then her horn lit up and Heart and Soul's helmets jumped off their heads. "Officially, you two are relieved of duty for the day," she said. The pair exchanged a look and began removing the rest of their armor.

"I get the feeling there's an 'unofficially' line coming up," Soul said, "What do you need us to do?"

Celestia chuckled. "If I remember the date of your arrival in Equestria correctly, this would be your first Summer Sun Celebration, correct?" she asked.

"It is," Heart said, shifting slightly as Soul used his magic to undo the clasps on her chest-plate.

"It's also the first for somepony else," Celestia said, and then turned her head toward the door to the next room and called out, "We're here."

"One moment Celly," a voice said from behind the door. Precisely one moment later, the door opened under the influence of magic and a tall, dark lavender unicorn with night-black mane and tail and a gibbous moon for a cutie mark entered the parlor. She smiled at Celestia, who stood up to go stand next to her, and then at Soul and Heart, who were looking at her with confusion.

After a second or two, Soul's eyes widened in recognition of the mare. With a wry smile, he said, "It's been a while Ms. Stella Moon, or should I say Princess Luna?" Heart blinked in confusion for another second, and then her eyes went wide as well, only to be squeezed shut as she smacked her forehead with a hoof.

"You will refer to me as Stella," the disguised princess said, "The two of you will join me as I visit Ponyville incognito for the next two days."

"Wait," Soul said, "I'm confused. How can this be your first Summer Sun celebration Princess? Isn't it an ancient yearly tradition?"

"The first Summer Sun Celebration was held in response to… Nightmare Moon's banishment and the return of that day a thousand years ago," Celestia said, instinctively putting a wing across Luna's back and hugging her close, "The following year I instituted it as an official holiday to try and remind my ponies of the tragedy that had stolen my sister from us, but over the years it became more and more about my control over the sun and moon. I never stopped counting their passage though, as I waited patiently for the one-thousandth anniversary and the chance to get Luna back."

"Wouldn't that make last year's Luna's first?" Heart asked.

"This year is the first where I'm not trying to bring on eternal night," Luna clarified, head hanging slightly in shame despite Celestia's comforting, "This is a chance for me to see the Celebration as it is intended to be."

"So why the disguise?" Soul asked.

"This is Celestia's day," Luna said, "And the fear of Nightmare Moon is still fresh in many ponies's minds. I'm afraid that trying to take part in an official capacity will only cause grief. Instead, I'm going to disappear for a while and Stella Moon and her two friends," she gave Heart and Soul a meaningful look, "are going to enjoy the festivities in Ponyville. I feel I can trust you two to help me stay in character, and the three of us can share the experience of learning."

"Sounds like a plan," Soul said, smiling broadly, "and a date." He winced as Heart's wing-slap connected with more force than usual. "Geez," he hissed, rubbing the back of his head as he glared at his winged sister, "what?"

"A date?" Heart replied in a low voice, "Seriously Soul? Don't forget who you're talking to."

"I believe I'm talking to and about a unicorn named Stella Moon," Soul said for all in the room to hear, and then gave the dark-maned unicorn standing under Celestia's wing a conspiratorial wink and smile, "Correct?" "Stella" returned the smile as Celestia chuckled and pulled her wing back to her side.

"I'll leave the three of you to that then," the white alicorn said, walking toward the door to the hallway, "Have fun, and I'll see you when I return from Fillydelphia." Heart and Soul dipped into quick bows until the Princess had gone, and then stood up and faced Luna.

"So," Heart asked, "Public pega-shuttle, or can we pull some strings for a private coach?"

"I am not without means to pay," Stella Moon said, producing a large coin purse filled to capacity with bits.

"You should know better by now sis," Soul said, giving Heart a playful poke, "We _never_ end up using public transit."

* * *

><p>Within half an hour, the disguised princess and her golden-yellow companions were flying through the air in a pegasus-drawn coach. Stella's horn was glowing as she set up a spell to guard against anypony hearing their voices from outside. When the spell was in place, her horn faded and she gave Soul, who had requested the spell, a curious look.<p>

"Right," the unicorn said, "if Heart and I are going to help you stay in character, we need to know that character. Just who is Stella Moon?"

Stella opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it again with a concerned frown. "Is my appearance not sufficient?" she asked, "It was all I needed when assisting the Great and Powerful Trixie in Manehatten."

"No, no it wasn't," Soul said, "The show you put on, all those tricks and illusions, made ponies believe you were who you said you were."

"Not to mention the talent night you put on after we got back from that trip," Heart added.

"That gives us a good launching point," Soul said, "Stella Moon has a knack for stage magic and illusions. However," he added when the tall lavender unicorn opened her mouth to comment, "She has not been seen on stage since, so you have a different day job, preferably one in Canterlot that's low-profile so we don't have to worry as much about ponies wondering why they haven't met you before."

"Do you have a suggestion Soul Mage?" Stella asked.

Soul and Heart exchanged a glance. "Uh," the golden-yellow unicorn said after a moment, "This may sound dumb, but if you weren't a functionally immortal alicorn who commands them moon and night sky, what would you want to do with your life?" The disguised princess just stared at him blankly. "Never mind," Soul said, tapping his head with a hoof as he tried to think.

"I enjoy art," Stella said, pondering, "painting especially. The night sky is like a canvas for me, or rather Princess Luna I should say. Perhaps I am an artist…"

"What kind of artist though?" Heart asked, "Painter, sculptor… something that wouldn't clash too much with stage magic… Oh!" She turned to Soul with excitement and inspiration lighting up her eyes. "She could be in our old line of work!" she said.

"What? Mercenary?" Soul asked, giving his sister an odd look.

"No, not quite," Heart replied, "Freelancing, remember? The spirit is willing…"

"…the flesh can be trained," Soul added, starting to smile.

"So the only question remaining," the golden-yellow pegasus said as she and Soul scooted closer together and threw a leg across one another's shoulders.

"Is what does the job pay?" the two finished together, grinning broadly at Stella. They broke down in laughter for a minute or so at the disguised princess's confused look.

"Sorry Princess," Soul said after he'd calmed down, "just remembering home. Freelancing was a common way for young adults to find their niche in society, especially if their talents didn't have obvious applications. Much like mine and Heart's spirit bond. We can just say you're experimenting with different jobs, and then maybe pick one that'll give you a good reason for asking questions about the Celebration."

"A… newspaper writer," Stella said, "I'm attending to write about Ponyville's traditions."

"A freelance reporter, I like that," Soul said with a nod. The group spent the rest of the journey discussing smaller details of the Stella Moon cover story, and by the time the coach landed in Ponyville, all three felt confident enough to put it to the test.

"Thank you sirs," Stella said to the coach pegasi, slipping a small tip to them before walking away. "Now, where shall we begin?" she asked Heart and Soul as the two fell into step next to her, keeping a careful watch on her gait so the relatively shorter ponies didn't need to trot to keep up.

"Well," Soul said, looking around and noticing the dominant flow of traffic was pointing toward the center of town, "It looks like everypony's getting geared up to start preparations. Let's find one who's not so busy and ask for a tour."

"Do you have a particular pony in mind?" Heart asked, looking around.

"Twilight Sparkle," Stella said, turning in the general direction of the library.

"I think she's likely to be caught up in the middle of all this," Soul said as he and Heart both gave the tall unicorn a questioning glance, "What with being a super organizer and Celestia's protégé, I'd be surprised if she wasn't in charge of everything."

"All the more reason to speak with her," Stella said, not breaking stride, "She'll know exactly who can be spared to answer our questions."

"Can't argue with that logic," Heart said, giving her brother a cheeky smirk.

"I concede," Soul replied with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

At the brisk pace set by Stella Moon, the great tree containing the Ponyville library soon came into view. As the trio approached it, they saw Twilight Sparkle stepping out the front door, her back laden with saddlebags full of clipboards and a baby purple dragon with green spines and a thick scroll clutched in his claws. Twilight had a distracted look about her as she trotted in the group's direction, and it seemed likely that she would pass by them without noticing until Spike waved and said, "Soul Mage! Gold Heart! Long time, no see!"

"Huh?" Twilight said, slowing to a stop a few feet past the golden-yellow ponies and their companion. She looked back in surprise, and then gave them a smile. "Hi," she said, "You weren't looking for me by chance were you? I don't have time to chit-chat right now; I have to get to the town square to organize the set-up for tonight."

"Actually, we were looking for you," Stella Moon said, taking a couple steps toward the lavender unicorn, "I'm Stella Moon. I'm trying to write a newspaper article about Ponyville's Summer Sun Celebration, and I was hoping you could point us to somepony who can show us around."

"There's not much to see right now," Twilight said, "We're just going to be setting everything up and organizing events for a festival tomorrow. The party doesn't start until sundown."

"So you do stay up all night," Stella said, getting a far-away look in her eyes.

"Yep, just like everywhere else," Twilight said, "Sorry, I'd love to talk to you, but I really must be going. Ironically enough, since the Princesses aren't going to be coming to town this year, there's even more things that need to be scheduled and organized, and I'm the best pony for the job." She turned away just in time to miss Stella mouthing the word "princesses" in confusion and lifted a leg to start walking away.

"Can you think of anypony who'll have time?" Soul asked, and then glanced at Stella, "I mean, it would be nice to get all the background information now so we can focus on the fun when it actually starts."

"Well," Twilight said, thinking.

"How about me?" Spike suggested, "All you really need me for is going over the checklist, and you're probably going to be with the Mayor most of the day, so she can fill that task, right?" Twilight gave him a disapproving look. "Ok," the dragon admitted, "I just want to avoid getting another bad claw cramp, all right? Have you seen this thing?" He held up the scroll.

"Spike," Twilight said in mild rebuke, but then sighed and said, "You know what? No time to argue. Go ahead."

"Thanks Twi," Spike said happily as he jumped off her back. Twilight relieved him of the scroll and galloped away. "All right," the baby dragon said, rubbing his claws together, "Where do you want to start?"


	3. Chapter 3: Pies and Spices

Pinkie Pie had bitten off more than she could chew. Never one to be daunted by such trivial obstructions to enjoying life, she simply allowed the red velvet cake with vanilla frosting and chocolate shavings sit on her tongue for a few moments before swallowing it whole and moving on to the mint ice cream cake with chocolate frosting. She picked up the cake and opened her mouth to shove it in, only to pause when she heard the oven timer go off, followed by Mr. Cake calling her name. Her blue eyes darted between the kitchen and the cake several times as she weighed her options. Deciding that giving herself a brain freeze by gulping down a cake made of ice cream wasn't the best thing to do just before helping to extract hot cupcake pans from the oven, she set the cake back down, gave it a hard look to dissuade it from trying to escape, and then bounced cheerfully to the kitchen. Halfway across the room, she paused in mid-bounce to glance around the Sugar Cube Corner storefront. "Hmm, still needs more streamers," she said, and then resumed her movement.

Ponyville's premier pink party planner had taken a heavy load upon herself in preparation for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration. Not only was she filling her usual role in helping the Cakes cook their share of the party food, she was also the Official Taste Tester – courtesy of Twilight's incredibly smart role-giving of a few hours ago – of every kind of sweet, treat, and baked good that would be available for consumption over the next two days, and was in charge of setting up and coordinating all the party locations for the nighttime vigil. Besides Sugar Cube Corner, there would also be a party at the town pavilion, where everypony would eventually gather to count down to the dawn, an accelerated party at the schoolhouse for young ponies who couldn't stay awake all night, and a super-special, not-really-a-surprise-but-we'll-pretend-it-is party at Twilight's house to mark the anniversary of her first day in Ponyville. Even for Pinkie Pie, the prospect of setting up and running so many parties all at the same time was a little overwhelming. _If only there were more of me,_ she thought idly as she set a tray of cupcakes on the counter to cool. Her ears perked up to their maximum perkiness as she heard the tinkle of the bell by the front door. "Oh, customers!" she said, setting the pot holder aside before zipping out to the sales counter. "Hi! Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner! What can I-" she cut off her cheery greeting with a long dramatic gasp as her eyes finally managed to get a message through to her brain about what they were seeing.

Standing in the middle of the room, their attention shifting from the tables laden with food to the pink pony behind the counter, was a pair of greyscale earth ponies with matching straight mane styles. One was a dark purplish-grey in coat and light-grey in mane with brown eyes and a polished lapis lazuli for a cutie mark and the other was lighter in coat than mane with purple eyes and a bronze balance scale over a half-rolled scroll for a cutie mark. They both gave Pinkie nervous smiles as her eyes widened and began to sparkle and her mouth curled up in a huge smile. "And… brace," the lighter-coated one muttered.

"Maggie!" Pinkie squealed, "Shoo Fly! You made it!" Over the counter she pounced, crossing the distance between her and the pair almost faster than the eye could see and caught them both up in a rib-straining hug. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you! Well, maybe you do because we're sisters, and nopony knows you better than family. Oh, this is going to be great, getting to spend the Summer Sun Celebration with both my bestest friends _and_ my bestest sisters. I can't wait to introduce you to everyone; I wonder who we should start with?"

"Pinkamina," the dark-coated mare said in a strained voice, "breathing issues."

"Oh, sorry Shoo Fly," Pinkie said, letting her sisters go. She looked past them at the door and asked, "Did Mother and Father come too?"

"No," the lighter sister, Maggie, said, "Mother's not feeling too well, and Father stayed home to care for her."

"That's too bad," Pinkie said glumly.

"Pinkie? Is everything ok in here?" The sisters turned to see a motherly-looking blue earth pony entering the room from the kitchen. "Oh," she said, "well, this is a pleasant surprise. Hello girls."

"Good day to you Mrs. Cake," Maggie said, "how's business?"

"It's as good as ever," Mrs. Cake said, "Thanks for-" She was interrupted as the front door flew open with a wild chiming of its bell. The four earth ponies turned as one to look and then pranced out of the path of the ash-grey unicorn who had come charging into the bakery with a manic grin on his face. Right behind him was a brown earth pony who looked to be quite irritated. With a strong leap, she closed the distance between her and the unicorn and caught his red and orange tail in her mouth, hitting the ground in a seated position and digging her hooves in to bring him to a stop near the middle of the room. Spitting the tail out of her mouth, the brown pony walked around to the unicorn's front end.

"Don't get me wrong," she said, "It's good to see you loosen up, but this is not normal for you Ash. You're on something, aren't you?"

"Hm, maybe I am," Ashen Blaze said, cocking his head to one side, "Can you honestly argue with the results though? Pinkie Pie!" he changed the subject without missing a beat, "how are you this fine day?"

"Super-duper," The pink pony replied, her own natural enthusiasm increasing slightly in response to Ash's unusual cheerfulness, "This is turning into an unexpected visitors party."

"You invited us here sister," Shoo Fly pointed out.

"Yeah," Pinkie said, rolling her eyes, "but I do that every year and this is only… the third time you've been able to make it, so I wasn't _exactly_ expecting you to show up. Oh, we need to do introductions." She placed herself between Ash and Gale with a single bounce and threw her front legs around their necks. She was about to speak again when another oven timer went off in the kitchen and Mr. Cake stuck his head out of the kitchen.

"That's the Summer Berry pie," he announced, "and the cupcakes are ready for frosting Pinkie."

"We can handle introductions on our own Pinkamina," Shoo Fly said, seeing a conflict arising in Pinkie's eyes, "Don't let us stand in the way of your job."

"Okie dokie lokie Shoo Fly," Pinkie said, releasing Gale and Ash and bounding toward the kitchen.

"Shoo Fly Pie?" Ash asked, tilting his head slightly to the side with a smirk, "That's cute."

"I suppose," the dark-grey pony said, rolling her eyes, "but Pinkamina is the only one I will tolerate using that nick-name. You may call me Susan, Susan Fidelity Pie."

"I'm Margaret," the lighter sister said, extending a hoof, "but Maggie's fine if you want."

"Carmil- er, Gale," Gale said, extending a suddenly hesitant hoof to shake Maggie's. She cast a glance at Ash, who returned it with a shrug and a raised eyebrow. "Sorry," she said to the sisters, "Your names just… threw me off for a moment."

"No offense taken," Susan said, "Father's side of the family has a tradition for unusual names."

"And yet you don't like to be called 'Shoo Fly,'" Ash noted dryly.

"Just because my name makes little sense is no reason not to bear it with pride," Susan said haughtily, "and you are?"

"Ashen Blaze," the grey unicorn said, "Ash for short." He held out a hoof to Susan, but before she could take it, Pinkie dropped in between them with a platter of cupcakes balanced on her head.

"I just remembered," the pink pony said to Ash, ignoring the startled reactions to her entrance, "If you and Gale are here, does that mean Heart and Soul are too?"

"They aren't with us," Gale said, "The last I saw of them, they were standing guard outside Princess Celestia's room. She might have plans for them, but I couldn't begin to guess what."

"Maybe the Princess is taking them with her," Pinkie said, "She's raising the sun from Fillydelphia this year you know. I'd be jealous if we weren't doing so many awesome parties here." She walked over to a table, slid the platter onto it, and then flipped a cupcake into her mouth. After giving it a contemplative chewing, she swallowed it and proceeded to the ice cream cake. Mr. and Mrs. Cake and Gale winced as the pink pony gulped down the slightly melty cake and then licked the frosting off her muzzle before putting a hoof to her head and wincing slightly. "Woo, glad I waited on that," she said.

"Are you ok Pinkie?" Maggie Pie asked.

"Yep," Pinkie said, recovering, "That wasn't so much a brain _freeze_ as it was a brain _chill_. Anypony want a cupcake?" She picked the cupcake platter up in her mouth and held it out to her guests enticingly.

"Yes please," Maggie said as she and Susan each took a cupcake.

"Now Pinkie dearie," Mrs. Cake said, "be sure not to hand out all the treats too quickly. Or eat them all," she added in a murmur. Pinkie smiled at the older pony with her eyes, which did little to address her concern.

"I'll pass for now," Ash said, "but I wonder if I could ask a favor of you."

"What'cha need Ash?" Pinkie asked after setting the platter down. In answer, the ash-grey unicorn's horn began to glow with magic, followed quickly by the gemstones he wore around his neck and the flap of his right saddlebag. The bag opened and a smaller, clear plastic bag filled with sticks of tightly rolled bark which looked like cinnamon at first glance but upon closer inspection turned out to have thin white stripes breaking up the warm brown coloring.

"Ash," Gale said, giving the bag a scrutinizing, incredulous look, "is that... what I think it is?" Ash opened the back and pulled out a stick, and Gale covered her nose with a hoof as she caught the spicy and unpleasantly pungent scent it was giving off.

"Dear heavens," Susan said, her nose curling, "what is that? And has it gone bad?"

Ash frowned slightly as he looked around and saw similar looks of mild disgust on everypony's face, Pinkie's included. "I guess it truly is an acquired preference then," he said with a sigh, but then smiled and brandished the stick dramatically. "Friends and new acquaintances, I present you with what is arguably the greatest spice ever: _stinim_."

"Very arguably," Gale said, taking one deliberate step away from Ash, "How in blazes did you get that? Isn't it technically extinct?"

"The trees grew on only one planet, under the light of a Shadowstar," Ash replied with a nod, "However, it's similar enough to cinnamon that, with a little help from PC on the chemical changes required, I have been able to create a spell to synthesize it."

"It's supposed to smell like that?" Susan asked.

"It's a delicacy where I'm from," Ash said, putting the _stinim_ stick back in the plastic bag and giving Gale a sideways look, "and I'm told the 'stench' is less offensive when it's mixed with other things. And that brings me to the favor. Pinkie, Cakes, I would like to make some _stinim_ sweet rolls; can I make use of your kitchen?" Seeing the doubtful looks being exchanged between the bakery owners, he added, "It'll take twenty minutes in the oven, tops, and I should be able to keep out of the way of your work."

"Well, I was going to call for a break in a few minutes anyway," Mr. Cake said, "So I guess it would be ok."

"Wonderful. Thank you," Ash said, bowing his head. He then turned to Gale and held out an expectant hoof. "You brought PC like I asked, right?" he asked her.

"What do you need him for?" Gale responded, raising an eyebrow.

"He has the recipe," Ash answered, gesturing for Gale to fulfill his request. Gale looked Ash in the eyes for a few seconds, and then reached into a saddlebag and pulled out a device that resembled a cross between a microphone head-set and half of a helmet. "Thank ye," the unicorn said, taking the head-mounted computer and settling it onto his head. Grinning with excitement, he all but galloped past the counter and into the kitchen.

The silence that hung while everypony stared at the kitchen doorway was broken by Susan, who leaned her head to the side in curiosity and said, "He's a strange one."

"That might be from the _stinim_," Gale said, "I've often suspected it has a drug-like effect on his mind."

"Not that," Susan said, "not his behavior. I mean his aura; something about it is very… alien." She turned toward Gale and leaned in close, closing one eye. "Yours is a little strange as well, if you don't mind me saying so."

Gale leaned away slightly from the grey earth pony, but gave her face conveyed intrigue rather than discomfort. "You can read personal auras?" she asked.

"Well, 'read' might be the best word for it, but yes," Susan said, "I assume you're aware of Pinkie Sense?"

"The predictive twitches?" the brown earth pony said, "Yep. Are you saying your ability's similar?"

"They're both unusual gifts, especially for an earth pony," Susan said, "and I apologize again if I've made you uncomfortable."

Gale blew a short raspberry and rolled her eyes. "No worries Susan," she said, "I've seen my share of quasi-magical talents, and sensing auras is pretty normal by comparison. Pretty dang useful too."

"Quasi-magical?" Maggie asked, giving Gale a confused look.

"It's something that could be confused for magic, but really isn't," Gale explained, "At least, not according to Ash's definition of magic." She smirked and raised her voice so she could be heard in the kitchen, calling out, "Right Ash?" Her smile faded and was replaced by concern and annoyance when Ash didn't respond. "Ash," she called again, but got only silence in return. "He can't be that caught up with baking," she said, walking toward the kitchen. She poked her head through the door and was quickly joined by Pinkie, Mr. Cake, and Susan. The kitchen showed all the signs of being in use: cakes, cookies, pies, and other treats were set out to cool while others waited for their turn in the ovens, the sink was filled with used mixing bowls that needed to be washed before being used again, and the air was filled with the hot fragrance of baked goods. It was also lacking the presence of one ash-grey unicorn stallion. "Ash?" Gale said, growing more concerned. Pinkie slipped past her to check inside the pantry and the cellar while Gale and the others looked around for any sign of Ashen Blaze.

"I can't find him anywhere," Pinkie reported when she returned from the cellar, "But I found Gummy." She turned her head to display the small toothless alligator attached to her mane.

"The back door's ajar," Susan noted.

"We cracked it open to get some cool air in here," Pinkie said.

"So he could have walked out without anyone noticing," Gale mused, and then spotted a plastic bag on the counter next to an empty mixing bowl. She walked over for a closer look, and her frown deepened. "Ok, this is troublesome," she said, "He's wandered off somewhere."

"Is that unusual for him?" Susan asked, "Or something he's prone to?"

"He'll go off on his own every now and then," Gale said, "but he normally has a good reason to, and he would never leave in the middle of making _stinim_ buns unless there's an emergency. If there was an emergency, he'd come and get me. And under no circumstances would he just leave his _stinim_ behind." She grabbed the bag off the counter and stuffed it into her bag. "Sorry to run off," she said, her nose still in the bag as she searched for something, "But I need to… oh." She pulled her head out of the saddlebag and face-hoofed. "He's got PC!" she said, "Dang it. He could be anywhere and I have no way to track him down. This is not how I wanted to spend my day." She heaved a huge sigh and started toward the back door.

"Would you like some help?" Susan asked.

Gale paused and looked at the dark-grey earth pony. "I'd appreciate help," she said, "but I wouldn't want to take any of you away from your work."

"Don't worry about that," Pinkie said, sidling up next to her sister, "We're all friends, and friends help each other. I need to head out and get started on setting up parties around town anyway, so I can keep an eye out for Ash."

"Maggie and I are just visiting town," Susan said, "And since the festivities don't really start until this evening, I wouldn't mind spending a few hours tracking down a pony. I've seen his aura, so it will be easy to locate him once we get close enough."

"Yep," Pinkie said, "Shoo Fly's the world champ at hide-and-seek. You two will find Ashy in no time!" She pushed Susan and Gale closer together and then bounced toward the door to the front room, finding her other sister standing just inside it. "Want to come with me Maggie?" the pink pony asked, "We'll head to the pavilion first to see if Rarity's ready for the snack tables." She looked back at Gale and said, "Be sure to introduce Shoo Fly to anypony you recognize Gale, ok?"

"Got it," Gale said with a smile and a salute. She turned to Susan and motioned for her to lead the way. "Thanks," she said as they left the bakery.

"Don't mention it," Susan said, "you can repay me by telling me where you come from, where sensing auras is not considered unusual." Gale chuckled nervously and shook her head slowly.

"It's a looong, crazy story," she said.


	4. Chapter 4: Upstagings

Pinkie Pie was humming a little ditty to herself as she pranced down the street toward the town square. Maggie Pie walked beside her, smiling slightly at her sister's boundless and infectious cheerfulness. Both mares were bearing saddlebags packed with party supplies, quite possibly more than anypony except Pinkie could physically stuff into a bag if Maggie knew her sister. The light grey earth pony bucked slightly to jostle her load and get a better feel for the weight. It didn't seem exceptionally heavy, but that wasn't always an indicator of certainty. Pinkie had once had Maggie carry a bag that had turned out to contain a number of rather large rocks, but which had felt like it weighed only a few pounds.

She was brought out of her ponderings when Pinkie came to a sudden stop next to her. Looking up, Maggie saw a small crowd of ponies gathering in front of a large caravan wagon parked near the pavilion. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"I don't know," Pinkie said, "But I think I see Twilight up at the front. She'll know what's up; she's in charge of knowing what everypony's doing today. Come on." The pair made their way across the square and around the crowd. As they approached, they saw an azure pony in a purple pointed hat and cape slink around to the back of the wagon, eyeing the crowd critically. Pinkie's eyebrows rose a little at the sight, but she stayed focused on reaching her scholarly friend. With a minimum of jostling, she and Maggie made it past the ponies circling around the front of the wagon and came up next to Twilight, who was looking nervously out at the growing herd of spectators, and Lyra ,who was focused on the wagon. "Hey girls," Pinkie said, grabbing their attention, "Was it my imagination, or did I just see Trixie around here?"

"Hey Pinkie," Twilight said, and then looked curiously at Maggie.

"Twilight, Lyra," Pinkie said, "This is my sister Maggie, from the rock farm. Maggie, this is Twilight Sparkle and Lyra Heartstrings."

"It's nice to meet you," Maggie said, nodding at the unicorns.

"Charmed," Lyra said distractedly, "Not to be rude, but we're a bit busy right now Pinkie." She nodded at the wagon, "Last minute applicant for tomorrow's entertainment."

"Oh, okie dokie," Pinkie said. She took a few steps toward the crowd and took a seat, waiting expectantly. As Maggie and Twilight went to sit next to her, the wagon began to unfold into a stage as a fanfare of trumpets played.

"Come on, come all," a sonorous voice called out as thick lavender smoke billowed up, "Come and witness the greatest show to ever travel the roads of Equestria!" The silhouette of a pony in a tall pointed hat and a flared cape became visible within the smokescreen, and large silvery stars materialized and began to swirl about through the air, slowing drawing together to settle upon the figure's hat and cape. "Fillies and Gentlecolts, we present to you The Great and Powerful Trixie's Traveling Thespians!" The smoke parted and blew away to reveal the infamous showmare herself, head held high to soak in the praise and applause that was sadly lacking among the audience. Pinkie Pie's hoof-pounding and whistling tried to make up for the lack, but succeeded only in drawing attention off the stage and onto the party pony.

Having expected a lackluster welcome, Trixie was only mildly disappointed. Swallowing a sigh and reminding herself to stay patient, she turned her gaze downward to look at Lyra and continued her spiel, "You will stand in awe as Trixie performs amazing feats of magic never before witnessed by pony kind!"

"Can you make yourself disappear?" a voice called out from the audience, garnering a laugh. Before Trixie could formulate a response, she saw a tomato wrapped in a magic aura floating upward out of the crowd.

_Not this time,_ she thought with a smirk. Keeping her eye on the red vegetable, she backed up three steps and raised her right rear hoof in expectation. "Disappearances, illusions, tran-" she cut off her speech and stamped down as the tomato began flying toward her. On cue, an earth pony dressed in a full suit patterned in yellow, green, and red and wearing a black mask over the top half of his face bounded through the curtains behind Trixie, leaped over her in a forward flip, caught the tomato in his mouth, and landed squarely on his back hooves while holding his front legs out to either side. The audience stared in silent surprise for a moment, but then a smattering of applause and appreciative murmuring broke out. Trixie gave a satisfied smile behind the cover of Harlequin's body, but then the stallion lost his balance and fell with an exaggerated yelp onto the magician. The crowd laughed as Trixie lifted Harlequin off of herself and dropped him onto the stage next to her. He landed in a tumble that brought him to his hooves and then bowed deeply, tomato balanced on his head. "Yes," Trixie said, gesturing to the garishly dressed pony, "you will laugh as the Harlequin storms the stage with his strange clumsy agility. But that is not all." She brought her legs together in a stiff stance and lowered her hat to cast a shadow over her eyes. "Citizens of Ponyville," she said darkly, "You think you know the Great and Powerful Trixie as nothing more than a teller of tales. Many of you were impressed by her claim to have vanquished an Ursa Major. That was a lie, the telling of which I have more than paid for. But now, I present to you a pony with even wilder and more unbelievable stories than even Trixie could imagine. What's more, he comes with proof of the validity of his stories." She grasped the curtains in her magic as she and Harlequin moved to opposite sides of the stage. "Ponyville," Trixie said, "The Great and Powerful Trixie is proud to present Captain Barnacle Salt and his greatest catch: Mar the Seapony!" With a grand wave of her hoof, Trixie parted the curtains to reveal the caramel-colored pegasus standing proudly next to a large glass tank filled with water. Inside the tank floated a creature that looked to have the front half of a sea-green pony mare with a blue mane and the tail end of a sea-green fish. Around her neck hung a thin necklace with a small pearl pendant that shone in the sunlight. Her wide golden eyes swept across the audience as she attempted to give everypony a smile. Everypony stared back in amazement.

"Incredible," Twilight said, "A real-life hippocampus." She turned to Lyra and said, "You have to let them have a spot now!"

"I don't know," the green unicorn said, "The seapony is impressive, but Trixie still seems to be all talk."

"Well, you can't expect me to display my entire routine now," Trixie said, tilting her hat back to its normal position, "not with a crowd this big; there will be no reason to watch us tomorrow. However, I suppose could demonstrate one more trick." She rolled her eyes back in thought for a moment and then looked out at her audience. "For this trick, the Great and Powerful Trixie requires an assistant. Are there any volunteers?"

"Oh, pick me!" Pinkie Pie said instantly, sticking a hoof up in the air as high as she could.

"Very well then Pinkie," Trixie said, smiling and gesturing with a hoof, "hop on up here." Pinkie took the instruction literally, jumping from her seat and landing squarely next to the showmare with her face out to the audience. "Captain," Trixie said, turning to look back at Barnacle, "Trixie needs the box. Fetch it will you?" Barnacle gave a quick salute and walked backstage. He returned a moment later pushing a large black box decorated with silver stars and blue wands that matched Trixie's cutie mark with four wheeled legs that brought the top up to Trixie's shoulder. He parked it behind Pinkie and went back to stand next to Mar's tank, the seapony looking relieved to have him next to her again.

"What'cha gonna do Trixie?" Pinkie asked, turning around to look the box over as Trixie walked behind it and undid the latches holding the front panel in place.

"Move aside for a second," Trixie instructed. After Pinkie complied, Trixie levitated her hat off of her head and flung it aside. "Somepony asked for a disappearing act," she projected out over the audience, "The act of rendering a pony invisible is a simple thing for a unicorn of Trixie's ability." Her horn flared and she vanished from sight for a second. "Personal teleportation is trickier, and teleporting another object without moving oneself trickier still. All of these you would expect from a pony as Great and Powerful as Trixie. If Trixie is to truly impress upon you her power, she must do better even than that. Trixie shall make this mare vanish _without using her horn_." She reached up and tapped the pointed protuberance on her forehead, noting with pleasure the looks of skepticism on the faces of her audience. Even Twilight looked unsure, and Trixie was willing to bet the lavender pony was already trying to puzzle out the trick. It was time to weed out the obvious. "Climb inside the box Pinkie," the showmare said.

"Okie dokie lokie." Grinning from ear to ear, Pinkie wiggled her way into the box, which was just big enough to contain her and her puffy tail when she tucked her legs underneath her.

"Now," Trixie said, ducking down and crawling under the box before flipping the front panel back into place and locking it, "As you just witnessed, there is nothing between the box and the stage. My horn is not aglow," she tapped her head again, and then pushed the box around in a three-sixty spin, "and the box is complete on all sides. There is no means short of outright magic of removing Pinkie Pie from the box without- ack!" Out of nowhere arose a cloud of thick red smoke that obscured most of the stage, save for the far end where Harlequin could be seen staring at the smokescreen with a mixture of shock and anger. Over the sound of Trixie and Barnacle coughing, Twilight caught the distinct sound of a teleport spell on the stage, and then she grabbed Lyra with her magic and pulled the unicorn back when the box containing Pinkie came rolling off the stage. It landed on its end and broke open, sending Pinkie tumbling head over hooves onto her back.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, leaping to her feet, scowling at the stage, "What was that for?"

"Sincerest apologies madam," a new, clear baritone voice said as the smoke began to thin, "But I had to act in haste." If the speaker was going to say anything more, it was cut off as a blast of wind launched the smokescreen into the sky and scattered it. The Great and Powerful Trixie's horn was glowing brightly as she glared daggers at the crimson unicorn with a stylishly short and oiled purple mane and tail who was suddenly on the stage with her, giving her a disgruntled look.

"For the love of…" Trixie muttered, and then raised her voice, "Where did you come from this time, Trouble? I thought we'd finally given you the slip in Oat Grove."

"You're not as slippery as you think you are Trixie," the stallion replied smugly, "As I tell you every time we meet, you cannot escape the amazing tracking skills of _Tremolo_!" He reared up in a dramatic leg-pedaling, only to pause and look around the stage curiously.

"We ditched the fireworks, if that's what you're looking for," Harlequin said in a level tone.

"Why would you not have fireworks?" Tremolo asked Trixie, "you always have fireworks. Your ego demands it."

"My ego demands that I do what it takes to keep the audience's attention," Trixie said, "But my stomach made a very strong case for selling what was left after _your_ last interruption of Trixie's show." She turned away from him and walked over to where her hat had landed. "And if The Great and Powerful Trixie is bound by ego to use pyrotechnics, what does it say about the Troublesome Tremolo that you've used twice as much as I have since we met?"

"This isn't part of the show is it?" Maggie Pie asked, mostly to herself.

"It most certainly is not," Trixie said curtly, turning to look at Maggie and explain. Tremolo stepped in front of her before she could begin.

"My friends," the crimson stallion said in loud declaration, "My name, as you have heard, is Tremolo. I have come here with a mission to expose and denounce." The crowd broke out into murmurs, wondering what he could possibly mean. At the back of the stage, Barnacle rolled his eyes and started to walk downstage to confront Tremolo, but stopped when Trixie waved him back, answering his questioning look with one that requested a short period of patience. His attention fully on the ponies in front of him, Tremolo didn't notice this exchange as he continued his speech, "I am here to warn you against the lies and chicanery of the so-called Great and Powerful Trixie!" Silence fell like a stone, as the audience to a pony gave the crimson unicorn a flat, disappointed look. Tremolo had expected gasps and more murmuring, so the reaction caught him off guard.

"Lies?" Trixie asked in a scandalized tone after a moment, walking around to bring herself into the audience's view, "Chicanery? Such horrid accusation you've made against Trixie!" She switched to a mockingly flirtatious voice as she smirked at Tremolo, "Do you have any examples to present to these ponies?"

Tremolo looked out at the herd, and then narrowed his eyes and whirled on Trixie. "I get it," he said, "You've got these ponies on your side already. This is your hometown isn't it?"

"Hardly," Trixie said with a laugh, "That would be _Hoofington_. No, these ponies would love to have another excuse to ride me out of town. Are you going to give them one, or just stand there like gasping fish?" A small wave of chuckles rippled through the crowd as Tremolo snapped his mouth shut and glared at the azure mare.

"You've claimed to have save Hoofington from a rampaging Ursa Major single-hoofed," he said at last, "When in fact you-"

"She couldn't even handle an Ursa Minor," Lyra said, rolling her eyes, "We know. That incident happened here."

"Oh," Tremolo said, surprised into uncertainty, "Uh… well then! Now that I've refreshed your memory- agh!" Having finally had enough, Harelequin had taken a small bite from his captured tomato and then chucked it at Tremolo's head, where it splattered spectacularly.

"Give it up already," the costumed earth pony said, "You're just going to make a bigger fool of yourself."

"You're one to talk, clown," Tremolo shot back.

"I am," Harlequin said as he sauntered over to the crimson stallion, "See, the thing is, it's my _job_ to be a fool. What's yours?"

"My job?" Tremolo asked with a snide grin, "Didn't I make that clear before? It is to pursue the truth and expose the frauds. You play the fool indeed Mr. Harlequin, one who cannot keep an honest bit in his purse when the merchant offers you a deal." He turned away from the glowering Harlequin and began to walk upstage toward Barnacle and Mar. The grizzled pegasus stepped between the seapony's tank and the unicorn, wings spread in a protective stance. "And you with your so-called-" Tremolo began, only to be cut off as a rope snaked its way onstage under the influence of Trixie's magic, leaped up to tie itself around the crimson pony's muzzle, and then tugged him roughly around to meet Trixie's glare.

"Your quarrel is with me, troublemaker," she said, "You came here, as you have come to many of Trixie's shows recently, to try and discredit Trixie and undermine her show. You say that Trixie is not so Great and Powerful? Prove it." She commanded the rope to untie Tremolo and cast it away backstage. "The Great and Powerful Trixie does not take challenges often anymore, but for you we'll make an exception. Anything you can do, I can do better. How about it?"

"Nice try," Tremolo responded, "I will not give you any means to humiliate me again. If you're so great, come up with something original."

Trixie gave the unicorn a bemused look. "You must be joking," she said, and then looked out at the audience with a shake of her head. "Twilight," she said, pointing at the broken wheeled box on the ground, "Could you lend me a hoof and fix that please?" Twilight looked over the box before nodding and activating her magic. Pinkie stood up with a happy, expectant look in her eyes as the box came back together and floated up onto the stage, and Trixie waved for her to come up.

"Yipee!" Pinkie squealed, bouncing up onto the stage and squeezing into the box again after pausing to stick her tongue out at Tremolo.

"Now," Trixie said, doffing her hat again to expose her horn, "Before Trixie was so rudely interrupted, she had established that there are no hidden panels, mirrors, or illusion spells on this box. Without tapping into her magic, the Great and Powerful Trixie will now make this pony disappear." By hoof and mouth, she closed and locked the box, spun it around once, and then stood behind it with her front hooves resting on top. Tremolo watched the display with lidded eyes. Trixie tapped the box with her left hoof once, twice, and then reached across and undid the locks with a cry of "Behold!" The front panel fell open, and Tremolo's jaw dropped when he saw neither hide nor hair of the pink earth pony. The audience broke out into amazed gasps and applause that Trixie basked in for a moment before holding a hoof up for silence. "We're only half done," she announced, "for what has been taken away must be returned." She raised her right hoof high in the air and cried, "Vanished pony, I command thee, return to us, now!" She swung her hoof down and Pinkie Pie came cartwheeling out from behind the upstage curtains, rolling down the stage until she crashed into Tremolo, sending the crimson unicorn sprawling off the stage to land in an undignified heap in the dirt. Laughter, cheers, and applause rang out as Pinkie stood up, beaming, and then took a bow alongside Trixie. Twilight went over to Tremolo and tried to help him up, only to be brushed off.

"This isn't over Trixie," he muttered.

"I don't doubt it," Trixie said with an aggrieved sigh, and then straightened up and looked at Lyra. "Are you convinced now?" she asked.

"Yes," the green unicorn said with a smile, "I'll give you a spot in tomorrow's show, on one condition."

"What?" Trixie asked.

Lyra pointed a hoof at Tremolo and said, "Make sure this guy is part of the act."


	5. Chapter 5: Searches and Secrets

"Well, that was certainly exciting." As Trixie's crew closed up the wagon and the crowd dispersed to return to their work, Twilight, Pinkie, and Maggie Pie were approached by Rarity, who had a refined look of satisfaction on her face. "I'm not sure if I completely approve of Trixie's methods, but I can't fault her for standing up to that rude interruption. Pinkie, you were marvelous up there," she added, smiling at the pink earth pony.

"Thanks Rarity," Pinkie replied, "It was actually way more fun than I expected. First I was in the box and then… Oh, I probably shouldn't tell; a magician never reveals her secrets!" She made a zipping motion across her mouth.

"It certainly was impressive," Twilight said, "And that seapony they had… I'll have to see if Trixie will be willing to talk about it once I'm done with everything. Speaking of which…" She looked at Rarity expectantly.

"The pavilion decorations are finished," the white unicorn reported, "Thanks to all the volunteers I was able to recruit." Her gaze slid over to Pinkie as she concluded, "It only needs Pinkie's… personal touch and it will be the most fashionable party location in town. You are only going to add a few things, right Pinkie?"

"Mph mm," Pinkie said with a nod, not opening her mouth. Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement as Pinkie passed her hoof in front of her mouth again and then said, "Check this out." She stuck her face into her saddlebag and came out with a dark blue balloon in her mouth. She inflated it with a single breath and tied it off before holding out for inspection. "Ta da!" she exclaimed.

"I'll probably regret this," Maggie said, "but why does that balloon have a moon on it? This is the Summer _Sun_ Celebration Pinkamena."

"I know that, silly filly," Pinkie giggled, starting to bounce the balloon on her head, "But the best part is staying up all night and holding parties until the Sun comes up. And since Princess Luna's free of the moon and isn't all dark and scary anymore, I think it's time to start giving her a little thanks for doing her part." She turned and started walking toward the pavilion, still bouncing the balloon expertly.

"For Pinkie logic, that made a lot of sense," Twilight said, scratching her head, "Maybe I should try to work some official recognition of Princess Luna into the ceremony? Spike," she looked around for a moment before remembering that the dragon wasn't with her, "Er… I'll go talk to the mayor about it."

"Darling," Rarity said, "You have more than enough to worry about without trying to squeeze in more last-minute changes. If Princess Luna wanted to be a part of the Celebration, I think you of all ponies would have been informed about it."

"Yes," Twilight said, relaxing a little, but then she tensed up and her irises started to shrink, "Oh, but what if they sent a letter after I let Spike go off?" She reared back to turn and run off, only to be grabbed by the head and pulled back down to earth by Rarity.

"Twilight Sparkle, listen to me," the white unicorn said, "Everything is fine, our preparations are ahead of schedule, and most importantly _there is no Princess coming to town this year_. Now calm down and go back to checking things off your list like a good little event organizer." She turned the lavender unicorn around and gave her a gentle push in the direction of the pavilion. Twilight trotted away, her posture growing more relaxed and natural with every step. "Another crisis averted," Rarity said with pride and then looked over at Maggie. "I do apologize for taking so long to speak to you Margaret," she said.

"Don't worry about it Rarity," the light-grey pony said, "When Pinkamena's your sister, you learn to just go with the flow of conversation. To be honest, I'm surprised you remember who I am; it's been a long time since we last met."

"Of course I remember," Rarity said, "I never forget a face, and you haven't changed a bit. Tell me, how is your family? Did they not come with you?"

"Susan came," Maggie answered, "but she's off helping find a lost pony right now."

"Dear heavens," Rarity gasped, "Who's gone missing?"

"A… unicorn stallion," Maggie said, trying to remember, "I think he was from out of town, but Pinkamena knew him. His name matched his coloring pretty well… Ashen Blaze I think it was."

"Ashen Blaze?" Rarity exclaimed, eyes widened to their fullest in surprise.

"You know him I take it?" Maggie asked.

"You could say that," Rarity said coyly.

"Maggie!" Rarity and Maggie both jumped in fright when Pinkie Pie was suddenly next to them, with several dark, moon-emblazoned balloons tied to her tail. "If you're done catching up with Rarity, I could use a hoof getting all these balloons in place. There's still a lot of party spots to set up."

"I must be going anyway," Rarity said, averting her gaze, "Lots of… work to. Getting a head-start on displaying the summer designs. Nice to see you Maggie, have fun, bye." She whirled around and walked away quickly but with proper decorum.

* * *

><p>"Confound that Ashen Blaze," Gale muttered darkly as she rested her head on the café table in front of her, "Where is he hiding?"<p>

"Nowhere that we've looked obviously," Susan Fidelity Pie said from across the table. She ignored the withering glance that Gale angled up at her and said, "He'll turn up eventually, I'm sure. He can't get very far, can he?"

"That's part of the problem," Gale said, "He has a couple of teleport spells. One of them is line of sight, so he can't get too far with it normally. The other one, though, is based on established way-points and is virtually limitless. He could easily have slipped back to Canterlot if he wanted to, but for the life of me I can't think of a reason why. He was actually excited to come here today, if only to showcase the _stinim_."

"Excuse me madams." The two ponies looked up to see a cream earth pony stallion with a slicked-back navy blue mane, a small mustache, and a white shirtfront collar standing by their table. "Have you made your decisions?" he asked.

"Um," Gale said, glancing at the unopened menu in front of her, "I'll have the house salad I guess, raspberry vinaigrette dressing if you have it."

"Daffodil sandwich please," Susan ordered. As the waiter nodded and left, the purplish-grey pony turned her attention back to Gale and said, "I'm not sure that I understand why you're worried. Ash is a full-grown stallion who can take care of himself, and if I understand what you've told me, you consider him the leader of your group."

"That's mostly because Ash can't _help_ but be a leader," Gale said, "It was fine when Soul Mage, Gold Heart, and I had just started working with him and he had all the experience, but it's been several years and numerous dimensional hops since those days. Ash respects our opinions and all, but sometimes we have to literally beat some sense into him." She sighed and put her head back on the table. "To honest," she said, "I'm scared for him. This isn't our world and I'm not sure if he's ever going to fully adjust."

"A-_ha!_ I should have known." Gale looked up to see Rarity approaching the table, looking like she'd just uncovered a great secret. "Good day Gale, Susan," she said sweetly as she took a seat at the table between the earth pony mares, "I take it the search for Ashen Blaze has not borne fruit yet?"

"You've heard about that?" Gale asked in surprise, "I know word tends to spread fast in small towns, but I've been getting the feeling that the Summer Sun Celebration's gummed up the rumor mill for the day."

"I just came from speaking with Pinkie and Maggie," Rarity explained, "And watching that surprisingly entertaining act of Trixie's of course."

"Trixie?" Gale asked, "As in the Great and Powerful Trixie, braggart and arrogant bully extraordinaire? She's back in town?" Rarity's reply was interrupted by the arrival of lunch, and the waiter gave the white unicorn an expectant look after setting the plates out.

"Some tea and a spinach salad if you please," Rarity said to him.

"Very well," the waiter said primly and walked away.

"Trixie is not quite the same pony she used to be," Rarity said, returning to the topic at hand, "She seems to have a more realistic idea of her own abilities and the confidence to let them speak for themselves rather than inventing stories to pad her ego."

"That doesn't sound at all like the crazy pony who tried using the Emerald to get petty vengeance," Gale said, "although, I think I remember Heart mentioning something about Trixie having a successful show in Manehatten during that week with the screwy stars…"

"Yes, she was performing there for a while," Rarity said, "but it seems she's gone back on the road and picked up a few other ponies to share the stage with."

"Huh," Gale said, sounding impressed, but then sighed and transitioned to melancholy, "Glad to hear that _some_pony's doing better in life."

"How- Oh, thank you," Rarity cut herself off as her food and tea arrived and then turned her attention back to Gale, "How has Ash been faring lately?"

"I'm not sure," the earth pony said, "I've been seeing less and less of him over the last few months. Without any big disasters or monsters to fight, he's been withdrawing into his studies and guarding Discord. When I barely had to press to convince him to come here today, I thought he'd finally made a change for the better." She chomped down on some her salad and chewed it slowly. "And then," she said after swallowing, "then he disappears without a trace!"

"You poor dear," Rarity said, looking Gale over, "You shouldn't have to be so stressed at this time of year. I insist on helping with your search."

"Oh no Rarity," Gale said, "I'm already imposing on Susan here. I can't go dragging every pony I meet into this search. You probably have a lot to do to prepare-" She stopped as Rarity held up a hoof and smiled.

"My task for the day is done," the white unicorn said, "and I assume he has his necklace?"

"As always," Gale said with a nod.

"I can keep an eye and a spell out for him," Rarity said, "If we each go our separate ways, we can cover more ground and track our errant unicorn friend down much faster."

"Thanks Rarity," Gale said, "If you find him, drag him to your boutique." She finished her salad and started to reach for her saddlebags to pay, only for Rarity to wave her off and place some bits of her own on the table. "You're doing more than enough," Gale protested.

"I insist," the unicorn said, "and may I recommend a trip to the spa once this matter is resolved?"

"If I take you up on that, I'm paying for it," the brown earth pony said firmly, but with a grateful smile on her face. She stood up and looked at Susan, asking, "You ready to go?"

"I believe so," the Pie sister said, pushing her plate away and standing up, "We haven't tried down by the farms yet." Gale nodded and the two mares trotted away, leaving Rarity to finish her lunch.

* * *

><p>The sun was a good distance beyond its zenith when Twilight Sparkle found time for a break. Between Pinkie Pie's boundless enthusiasm and Rarity's skillful use of charm to gather the greater part of Ponyville's idle population into a decorating committee, the basic preparations for the Celebration were well ahead of schedule. With nothing left on her schedule besides getting on Rainbow Dash's case about the clouds in a few hours, doing the last-minute triple-check checklist just before sundown, and stopping by to visit Applejack before going to the "surprise" party at the library, Twilight decided to locate Trixie and see how the showmare was doing. The fact that she was bursting with curiosity about Mar the Seapony was also a big motivator, if she had to be honest with herself. Like any pony, she'd been fascinated as a young filly by the legends of the half-pony, half-fish creatures that were supposed to live in kingdoms under the ocean. She was skeptical of the legitimacy of this particular seapony, but between Nightmare Moon, Discord, Pinkie Sense, and the minor disaster magnets that were the Order-naries, Twilight had learned that skepticism was best applied with an open mind.<p>

She found the stage-wagon on the outskirts of town near Whitetail Wood, completely closed up and parked in the shade of an old oak tree. Trixie, Harlequin, and Tremolo were standing a short distance away, looking like they were about to come to blows with one another while Barnacle stood next to the wagon with one wing wrapped protectively around a sea-green earth pony mare with a blue mane and tail who looked vaguely familiar to Twilight. She was too far away to make out the words of the conversation, but she could tell by the body language and the sparks forming on the end of Tremolo's horn that things had long since reached the point where an interruption was needed before somepony got hurt. "Hey everypony!" she called out in affected cheerfulness, waving a hoof at the performers. She trotted over to the wagon once they all turned to look at her.

"Twilight Sparkle," Trixie called back as the lavender unicorn approached, "Trixie must speak with you and-" she cut off as the sea-green mare suddenly bolted from under Barnacle's wing and ran into the wagon, slamming the door behind her. Trixie sighed and shook her head sadly. "My apologies," she said, "The poor filly has the most horrible stage fright Trixie has ever seen."

"Reminds me of Fluttershy when I first met her," Twilight said, "Who is she anyways? She looks familiar."

"She should," Tremolo said, "That was none other than these hustlers's counterfeit seapony!"

"Really," Twilight said, quirking an eyebrow and looking to Trixie for confirmation. The showmare hesitated, and then gave Tremolo a sideways glare and nodded. "Well, I'm impressed," the lavender unicorn declared, "her costume was flawless and it looked like she was actually floating in water inside that tank."

"The water's quite real," Barnacle said, "Did ya notice the necklace she was wearin'?" Twilight nodded, looking curious. "That's a charm I came into possession of many years ago," the pegasus explained, "It lets a pony breathe underwater for a few hours at a go. Saved my life a couple times when I got shipwrecked."

"And now you use it to scam ponies," Tremolo said accusingly. Trixie and Barnacle both opened their mouths to retort, but the crimson unicorn held up a hoof and then turned to leave. "I should have taken my leave of you already," he said, "so I'll rectify that now. Adieu until the next time."

"Oh no you don't you pedantic troublemaker," Harlequin said, pouncing and pinning Tremolo to the ground, "It pains my pride to say it, but we need you if we're gonna have a show tomorrow."

"Let him go Quin," Trixie said with a dismissive wave of her hoof, "We would have better luck vanquishing an Ursa in single combat than convincing him to assist the Great and Powerful Trixie in anything."

"No can do Trixie," the mustard-yellow earth pony said, getting Tremolo in a headlock and preventing him from getting his balance, "I'd rather put up with this nuisance for another day than travel for a week with an empty larder."

"That so?" Tremolo grunted, his voice dripping with unmistakable sarcasm, "Well, I'm… moved. Your passionate plea and this lovely closeness have caused me to see the errors of my way!" His horn lit up and knocked Harlequin's rear legs out from under him, causing booth stallions to collapse into a heap, but the acrobatic clown managed to keep his grip as the two struggled for dominance.

"Ok, that's enough," Twilight said, throwing her own magic into the fray to try and separate the pair. She eventually settled for teleporting Tremolo out of Harelquin's grasp to a point a foot or so above the ground and then holding the unicorn there in her magic. "Why can't you be nice to each other?"

"Honestly Twilight," Trixie said, rolling her eyes, "Is it your life's mission to try and establish friendship between every pony in Equestria?"

"I want you to have a fair chance to succeed Trixie," Twilight said, setting Tremolo on the ground and switching to a less strenuous holding spell to keep him from leaving, "I'll talk to Lyra about letting you perform without Tremolo tomorrow, provided he gives me a good reason why he can't put aside whatever grudge he's holding." She fixed Tremolo with a determined, expectant stare, waiting for him to speak.

"I don't see why I should bother," the crimson unicorn said after a moment of silence, "You are clearly on her side, and I will not be party to any plan that allows her chicanery to continue."

"Way I see it," Harlequin said, "he's a pony that Trixie humiliated once and could never let it go."

"So why wait until now to start chasing her?" Twilight wondered aloud, "Where was he when Trixie made her first appearance in Ponyville?"

"I had nothing," Tremolo muttered, "It would have been her confident boasting against my humiliation at her hooves. I was ecstatic when I heard the rumors that her lies had finally been exposed, but then…" He glared at the azure unicorn mare. "You recovered," he said, seething in anger, "after all you did, the falsehoods you told, you should've been left on the streets to beg. It's not fair!"

"I… see," Twilight said, becoming a bit disturbed. She sidled over to Trixie and said in a low tone, "We need to talk, in private."

"Very well," the showmare replied after a moment of trying to read Twilight's expression. She led Twilight over to the wagon and knocked on the door. "Cabbage Patch," she said, "It's Trixie. I'm coming in with a friend, ok?"

"I said _private_ Trixie," Twilight said.

"Cabbage won't say anything," Trixie said reassuringly, and then became slightly irritated when she heard a lock sliding into place behind the door, "She can barely stand to be around anypony she doesn't know anyway. It took me two weeks to get her to say more than two words to me or Harlequin." She gave Twilight a sweet smile as her horn lit up and she cast a spell to undo the lock and open the door. "Perhaps your vaunted expertise can help her come out of her shell?" she suggested demurely.

"Fluttershy might be more helpful there," Twilight said as she followed Trixie up the steps and into the wagon. She looked around as Trixie closed the door behind them and almost didn't see the sea-green mare, who was trying to hide under a basket of ribbons and cloth scraps. "Hello," she said, giving the pony her most friendly smile, "I'm Twilight Sparkle. It's nice to meet you." Cabbage simply stared at the lavender unicorn and gave out a tiny squeak that put Fluttershy's most terrified utterance to shame. "So," Twilight said, trying awkwardly to break the ice while Trixie fetched some cushions to sit on, "I was really impressed with your… performance earlier. Have you been doing it long?" Cabbage shifted uncomfortably under her cloth and wicker shell, opened her mouth with some difficulty, and finally just dropped her gaze and hugged some ribbons to her.

"Barnacle's version of events is that he found her as a homeless orphan," Trixie said, gesturing for Twilight to sit, "He took pity on her and earned her trust by buying her a meal with his own meager funds. By giving her the underwater breathing charm and dressing her up as a seapony, he was able to attract more listeners to his storytellings, and they were making enough to live on when the Great and Powerful Trixie came upon them." The showmare chuckled for a bit and then continued, "He and I got into a contest of tall tales in which I was soundly beaten. As the price of losing, I had to buy the both of them dinner, by the end of which Barnacle had expressed a desire to take his show on the road since the locals had heard most of his stories and I offered to take him and Cabbage with me when I left. We met Harlequin in the next town and…" She trailed off and shook her head. "But never mind the rest," she said, "You had something to tell me?"

"Something to ask actually," Twilight said, "What exactly did you do to Tremolo? I haven't seen anypony get that obsessed over being shown up, not even when Rainbow Dash got a swelled head about being a hero."

"Trixie made fools out of many ponies before Ponyville," Trixie said, "What I did with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity will stick in my mind forever because of what happened later, but the vast majority of the others just blur together." She paused and thought for a few minutes. "I think I remember a red pony with a music-related talent," she said at last, "but I don't know what exactly he did or how I threw it back in his face… It was just another successful performance for the Great and Powerful Trixie. And to be frank, while I've encountered many who are still angry at me, Tremolo's the only pony to chase me down for vengeance, and he's annoyingly good at showing up when he can cause the most damage."

"Ok then," Twilight said, standing up, "I think I know how to resolve this."

"What-" Trixie started to asked, only for Twilight to shush her.

"Just play along," Twilight said, and then opened the wagon door and hopped out. She saw Barnacle reared up between Harlequin and Tremolo, using his front legs to keep the other two stallions out of each other's reach. "Ok," Twilight announced, getting their attention, "As the head coordinator for the entire Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville, I declare that the show will go on tomorrow whether or not Tremolo agrees to take part. So either start getting along or… run off," she finished with a smirk as Tremolo did exactly that, disappearing into the forest.

"Thank you for that ma'am," Barnacle said, dropping back onto all fours.

"If it was that easy," Harlequin said darkly, "why didn't you just overrule that Lyra pony's choice earlier?"

"Because I couldn't," Twilight answered. The performers all gave her an odd look. "All Lyra wants is something similar to the battle of wits you had with Tremolo earlier," Twilight explained, "and he's determined to mess up your show, right?" They nodded in answer. "Just perform like you normally would and stay ready for him to pop up," Twilight said in conclusion.

"And if he realizes that we're counting on him showing up and doesn't?" Trixie asked, her head leaning out of the wagon.

"You'll have put on an uninterrupted show," Twilight answered confidently, "Lyra won't be able to stop you once you've started, I'll make sure of that. By the way, there's going to be a party at my library just after sundown. I hope to see you, all of you, there."

"You're too kind Twilight, you really are," Trixie said.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- This chapter took way too much time, even after taking the other stuff I've been working on into consideration.**** I'm not that confident in the quality, but I've got it out of the way so I can finally get on with the plot.**


	6. Chapter 6: Down on the Farm

As the lunchtime hours flowed along, Stella Moon and her entourage were meandering toward the agricultural corner of Ponyville as their tour guide Spike regaled them with an account of the previous year's Celebration and Nightmare Moon's return. "I've got to say it was a little weird," he said from his spot riding on Soul Mage's back, "When I fell asleep – which I tried so hard not to do, but after the partying and staying up so long… anyway, when I fell asleep we were facing eternal night at the whim of a crazy scary night pony, but when I woke up the sun was up and there's a celebration and I find out that Nightmare Moon was Princess Celestia's sister! I honestly wasn't sure what to think."

"Yes," Stella muttered sardonically, "that was made quite clear when- _oof!_" Gold Heart had hopped up and poked the dark lavender pony in the ribs, giving her a warning look. "Er, that is," Stella said, raising her voice a little, "I could well guess how confusing it must have been for everypony." Spike didn't show any signs of noticing the disguised princess's near slip-up, but Stella decided to play it safe by changing the subject. "I'm feeling a bit hungry," she declared, "perhaps we should find some place to have lunch."

"I know just the place," Spike said, "Sweet Apple Acres isn't too far from here, and if things are like they were last year, they'll have plenty of food to spare."

"Lead on young dragon," Stella said with a nod. Spike gave Soul a light kick in the sides and the unicorn obligingly trotted ahead on the path leading to Applejack's farm, giving a playful whinny and snort as he did so. Heart rolled her eyes and smirked at the display.

"The Apple family holds a large family reunion during the Summer Sun Celebration," Spike explained as the group approached the entrance to the farm, "They try to have it wherever Princess Celestia is, but Applejack said the farm near Fillydelphia isn't big enough to support the whole clan, so they're gathering here this year."

"So where are they?" Soul asked, looking around the seemingly empty fields and apple orchard he could see from the gate.

"Check the house, check the barns, search the orchard," Heart said, taking the lead, "Unless you've got a better plan?"

About halfway down the path, the sound of hooves impacting a tree off to the right grabbed the group's attention. Going to investigate, Soul nearly bumped noses with Applejack as the farm pony came trotting toward the path with a pair of apple baskets strapped to her back. "Well, I'll be," Applejack said, smiling, "Soul Mage, I ain't seen you in well over a season. In town fer the Celebration I take it?"

"Indeed we are," Soul said with a nod, gesturing with his head at Heart and Stella, "Ashen Blaze and Gale are elsewhere in town, probably getting into mischief, but I'd like you to meet a new friend of ours, Stella Moon."

AJ ran over to the tall unicorn and grabbed a leg with both hooves, shaking it vigorously. "Well howdy there Ms. Moon, I'm Applejack," she said, "pleased to meet you."

"Charmed," Stella said, taken aback by the earth pony's enthusiasm.

"Now," Applejack said, releasing the other pony's hoof and taking a step back, "what can I do y'all fer?"

Stella just stared blankly for a second until Heart gave her a light nudge. "I'm from Canterlot," she said, "A reporter for a newspaper. Er, I mean I'd like to be one. I'm writing a piece on Ponyville's Summer Sun traditions. I heard from the dragon there that you're an important pony to know when it comes to the food."

"You got that right," AJ said proudly, giving Spike a brief smile, "Sweet Apple Acres is the biggest producer of apples, and other assorted crops, round these parts. I'm also noted fer being one of the best bakers in town. Speakin' of food, y'all are just in time for taste-testing the first round of the Apple Family's Summer bake-off. Come on." She began trotting away toward the farmhouse without waiting to see if anypony was following her.

"She's… energetic," Stella said as she and her escort began to follow Applejack. _Quite unlike her behavior around the real me,_ she added to herself.

"She's doing pretty much the same thing she did when Twilight and I first met her," Spike said, "She's quite proud of her apples." Applejack led them to a long table in the yard in front of the farmhouse and placed Stella at the head with Heart and Soul on either side and Spike next to the golden-yellow unicorn. As she left them there to go ring the triangle on the porch and drop her baskets, Spike leaned in and cautioned, "Prepare yourselves; there's going to be a _lot_ of ponies in-" He was cut off as the triangle clanged loudly and rapidly.

"Bring 'em in everypony! We got guests!" Applejack shouted. The ground rumbled under the impact of innumerable hooves as ponies colored in just about every conceivable combination of reds, yellows, oranges, and greens emerged from the farmhouse and various paths leading into the orchard. Many were bearing pans, plates, or bowls filled with food on their backs or in their mouths. The controlled stampede came to a stop, leaving the table and its occupants at the focus of a semi-circular crowd of ponies. "Everypony," Applejack said, stepping up behind Stella Moon and rearing back with a hoof on the chair for balance, "This here's Stella Moon, Soul Mage, and Gold Heart. Let's give them an Apple Family welcome!" That announcement set off another flurry of movement as the food-bearing ponies ran up one by one to the table to deposit their offering while AJ rattled off names. In a matter of seconds the table was covered in apple-based foods of all kinds and the guests were reeling in bewilderment, except for Spike who was looking quite amused at the show.

"Merciful…" Stella muttered, eyes rolling as she swayed slightly in her seat.

"Uh…" Soul said, at a loss for words until his gaze swept across the table. His confusion fled as his logical mind made a few connections and then readied a good-natured quip for him to use: "I'm sorry, were you introducing the clan or laying out the menu?" His words snapped Heart out of her daze and she started to lift a wing before realizing she couldn't reach him from across the table, so she settled for rolling her eyes and smirking. AJ and her relatives chuckled appreciatively. "Seriously though," Soul said, grinning at the orange farmpony, "This all looks great. I don't know where to start."

"Well I do," Spike declared, grabbing several caramel apples off a plate and taking a huge bite out of one. With that, the meal officially began.

* * *

><p>"Hoo-wee," Spike said, leaning back in his seat, "That's the best apple pie I've ever had Applejack." The majority of the Apples had gone back to their business after eating their share of the food, leaving only Applejack and Big Macintosh to entertain the visitors.<p>

"Thanks sugarcube," Applejack replied dryly, "but I didn't make that one. Heck, I've been so busy makin' sure there's enough apples for everypony else's projects that ain't had time ta start bakin' anything myself."

"It was a most satisfactory meal," Stella said, "Although I must say I'm surprised at just how many apples you've used. Apples normally ripen around autumn, do they not? Summer has not even officially begun, so where did all this come from?"

Applejack and Macintosh chuckled and the farm-mare titled her hat back as she explained, "Well, a fair amount comes from the leftovers of our winter storage, but we've got a little section of the orchard where the apples grow and ripen in no time flat just so we can have fresh apples fer the summer."

"That's…. amazing," Gold Heart said, "How did you manage that, if you don't mind me asking? Are they bespelled to mature faster?"

AJ snorted disdainfully. "You've been livin' round those Canterlot unicorns too long," she said. Macintosh gave her a look and she cleared her throat and smiled apologetically at Stella. "Er, no offense ma'am," she said, "but us Apples have a long tradition of relyin' on our own earth pony ingenuity rather than magic to solve our problems."

"I understand," the dark lavender unicorn said, "I would hope most earth ponies have similar convictions."

"Strength in diversity," Soul said with a nod.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said, nodding sagely.

"The early ripening apples are something my family's developed over generations of careful cultivation," Applejack said. She glanced up at the sky and blinked in surprise. "Speakin' of apples-"

"That's all we've been talking about," Soul muttered with a smirk.

"I need ta deliver a basket to Fluttershy," the orange earth pony continued, ignoring the unicorn, "Sorry to skedaddle, but-"

"May we join you?" Stella asked, "I was really hoping I would get to meet this Fluttershy."

"That so?" Applejack said, giving Stella a curious look, "Not that she's a nice pony and friend of mine, but what's got you so eager to meet her? Is it 'cuz of her modeling career?"

"Uh… yes," Stella said, grinning broadly.

"Well alright then," AJ said, "Meet me out by the gate in a few minutes." She got up from the table and walked to the porch where she'd left her apple baskets. The group got up as well, made their good-byes to Macintosh, and headed for the gate. Applejack caught up to them a minute later, her back laden with apples again, and took the lead as they started down the road toward Fluttershy's cottage. When the tree-covered hills of the farm began to fade into the background and the four ponies and single dragon were alone, AJ slowed down until she was walking next to Stella and asked, "So what's the real reason you're in town?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Yer not a reporter," AJ said, coming to a stop, "I've met my share of newsponies, and even those from Canterlot don't talk as fancy as you do. And you two," she shifted her gaze to Heart and Soul, "Y'all should know better than ta try and get a lie past _me_ of all ponies."

"Honesty…" Soul muttered, facehoofing. Stella opened her mouth to try and reply, but Soul shook his head at her and fixed his gaze on Applejack's eyes. "AJ," he said in a serious tone, "We're here to experience the Summer Sun Celebration and have fun. Sure, 'Stella' has some secrets she doesn't want to share, but don't we all?"

The suspicion drained from Applejack's face and she pulled her hat down over her eyes. "You're right," she said with a sigh, "I shouldn't be pryin' into business that ain't mine, and if y'all trust her, that's good enough fer me. My apologies Ms. Moon."

"I…" the tall unicorn said hesitantly as Applejack started walking again, with Soul and Spike right behind her. Heart started to follow as well, but Stella stopped her with a hoof on her shoulder and leaned in to confer with the golden-yellow pegasus. "I am starting to feel guilty about this deception," she said quietly, "Applejack is a pony who knows the real me, so why should I hide from her?"

"The point of this is to see the Celebration like a normal pony, remember?" Heart replied softly, "But I know how you feel, you're caught between achieving your goal and being honest. Personally, I'd-"

"Hey, what's keeping you two?" Soul called out. The mares glanced up to see him and AJ standing at a bend in the road, looking back at them.

"Short version," Heart whispered to the disguised princess, "Think of a compromise between the two. We're coming," she called back to Soul as she trotted toward him.

_Compromise?_ Stella thought as she started walking, _How? I could ask questions about myself, drop hints, but what do I do if somepony actually figures it out? No, I can't keep this masquerade up. Applejack's been treating me like any other pony, more or less, since Nightmare Night. I can trust her to keep a secret, right? But then there's Twilight Sparkle's little dragon…_ She shook her head and moved from a walk to a canter to catch up with the group. _I can deal with him,_ she concluded. "Fair Applejack," she started to say as she pulled up even with the farm pony, only to be interrupted by a shout from farther down the road.

"Heart! Soul!" Two earth pony mares were racing up to the group. The one in the lead was brown with a darker brown mane and tail and the other was a dark purplish-grey with a straight light grey mane and tail.

"Gale?" Soul said in surprise as the pair came to a stop in front of them, "What's up? Isn't Ash supposed to be with you?"

"He _was,_ yeah," Gale said grumpily, "He disappeared a while ago and I have had _no_ luck finding him. You haven't seen him by chance?" She looked hopeful for a second, but then shook her head sadly. "No, he'd be with you if you had… Oh, this is Susan Pie, Pinkie's sister," she added, waving a hoof at the pony beside her half-heartedly.

"Good to meet you," Heart said pleasantly, "Call me Gold Heart, Heart for short. This is Soul Mage, Stella Moon, and… do you know Applejack already?"

"I'm sure Pinkie's told her about me," AJ said, "but we ain't had the pleasure of meeting before. Howdy." She went over and shook Susan's hoof and then gave Gale a serious look. "Now what was that about Ashen Blaze going missin'?"

"We went to Sugar Cube Corner," Gale explained, "just so Ash could bum an oven and ingredients to make rolls with this batch of _stinim_ he suddenly had."

"_Stinim_? How?" Heart and Soul exclaimed simultaneously.

"No idea," Gale said, "Anyway, just a few minutes later he's gone without a trace and he left the _stinim_ sticks behind."

"That does _not_ bode well," Soul said, "Where have you looked?"

"Just about everywhere," Gale said, "We've got Rarity trying to get a trace on his Artificial Element necklace on the chance he's slipped past us and Susan here can see personal auras, so she's been helping me in lieu of using PC. Oh, did I mention Ash took PC with him? Ugh…" She sank to her haunches in mild despair. "Well, we can probably skip Sweet Apple now," she said after a moment, "so if he's not back in town he must have… Argh, I don't know! He can teleport. He could be _anywhere_ between Zecora's hut and Canterlot! Why me?" She dropped fully onto her belly, breathing raggedly through clenched teeth as her irises slowly shrank.

"Is she… trancing?" Soul asked worriedly as Heart leaned down to look into Gale's eyes, "Has she seriously sent herself over the edge over _Ash_?"

"Are you not concerned about his well-being?" Stella asked, giving the golden-yellow unicorn a hard look.

"I am concerned," Soul snapped, "But Gale usually trips out over machines, not people, er, ponies."

"Gale," Heart said, patting the earth pony's cheek gently, "stay with us girl. Slow breaths. Don't make me sic Soul's faulty logic on you."

"I'd take offense to that if I weren't trying to think of an appropriate paradox," Soul said.

"No," Gale moaned, thrusting a hoof into the air in surrender, "No idiotic whatevers. I'm functioning, I'm… good." She heaved herself to her feet and tried to give the ponies around her a smile, but her wobbly, pin-point eyes made it look less than reassuring.

"Oh, you are definitely not alright sugar," Applejack said, walking over to lean supportively against Gale, "You look like me after five days of non-stop apple-bucking. You need to take a break and get yer marbles sorted back out. Why don't you come with us ta Fluttershy's? She's probably got some tea ta help you relax a little."

"We still haven't checked around there," Susan pointed out as Gale began to protest.

"Fine," the brown earth pony said dejectedly, "let's go." Head hanging low, she plodded down the road.

When the meadow around Fluttershy's little hill-cottage came into view, Gale was still in a dour mood despite her friends's attempts to distract her. "So," Soul Mage said, abruptly shifting his focus to Spike, who was now riding on Applejack's back, "does Fluttershy normally have a role for the Summer Sun Celebration?"

"I think so," the dragon said, "Last year she was in charge of music. She's got this little choir of songbirds that perform at parties and big events, and I'm pretty sure they were on Twilight's list of possible entertainment." Soul nodded and was about to suggest to Gale that they ask to listen in on a rehearsal when he noticed Susan had slowed down and was gazing intently in the direction of the Everfree Forest.

"I think I sense your friend," the dark-grey earth pony said. Gale's head shot up and turned to look hopefully at Susan. "There's another strange aura alongside it," Susan said, "but I'm pretty sure it's him, and he's headed in our general direction."

"Finally," Gale said with a snarl, "he's going to suffer for the trouble he's caused me."

"Easy there magebane girl," Soul said as he and Heart followed the earth pony as she stalked toward the forest, "At least make sure he'll be able to explain himself afterward." Heart cast a sideways look at her brother but didn't comment. Stella, Susan, and Applejack followed the Order-naries at a distance, concern over many things crossing their faces. When they reached the point where the path split between Fluttershy's yard and the Forest entrance, they saw an equine shape walking out of the misty woods. Once she entered the sunlight, the figure's stripes and golden jewelry became recognizable, as did the ash-grey pony she was dragging on a makeshift stretcher behind her.

"Ah," Zecora said, "I am glad to see you all here. Poor Ashen Blaze is not well I fear."

"What happened?" Heart asked as she, Soul, and Gale ran over to check on their friend. He didn't appear wounded and his gemstone necklace was present, but his eyes were nearly closed and unfocused and his horn bore a faint shimmer of magic. PC lay beside his head, a single yellow light indicating that it was operational but asleep.

"The full story is a mystery to me," the zebra said, shrugging out of the stretcher, "I found him like this in a dangerous part of Everfree. His horn glows as if casting a spell, and he was muttering, but about what I could not tell."

"Ash, you awake?" Soul asked, giving the unicorn a gentle shove. Ash grimaced and mumbled incoherently before going still again. Soul put a hoof to Ash's forehead and frowned. "Too warm. I think he's either catching something or straining his magic too much. Heart, let's douse him." Heart nodded and Soul began to channel his spirit magic toward her.

"Wait." Everypony turned to see Fluttershy standing behind them in the gateway to her property. The shy pegasus shrank back under the attention but then steeled her nerves and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but if you need water, you could use some from my stream. If you want to that is."

"Thanks," Soul said, completing the link between him and his sister, "but we've got this covered. Give Heart some room folks." The two golden-yellow ponies became wreathed in ethereal blue flames as Gold Heart jumped into a low hover and pointed her front hooves toward Ash. The flames around the pegasus began to flow into the space between her hooves and formed into a spinning blue disk of energy.

When the disk reached the proper size, Heart pulled one hoof back and then thrust it toward Ash with a shout, "Element Wheel, Water!" The energy flew toward the dopey unicorn and exploded wetly over him, dousing him with water and snapping him out of his daze.

"What's the-" Ash exclaimed, sitting up suddenly and looking around. "Order-naries present, one zebra, other ponies and I'm…" His gaze slid up to his horn and he groaned. "Ah _skvetch_," he swore, standing up and shaking the water from his coat, "not to sound unappreciative, but you guys just made me drop the barrier I was holding."

"What barrier?" Gale asked, giving Ash a suspicious look.

"A barrier to try and hold back… Uh where's– oh there you are." He picked and switched on PC before settling the computer on his head.

"Hold back what Ash?" Soul prompted, "What's in there?" As if in answer, a pair of small round fuzzy creatures, one blue and one brown, came buzzing out of the forest, their large compound eyes and silly smiles making them look oddly adorable. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Susan Pie stared at the bug with horror ranging from mild to paralyzing.

"Parasprites!" the purplish-grey earth pony exclaimed. She and AJ both leaped forward, grabbed a parasprite each, and flung them unceremoniously back into the trees.

"Yeah," Ash said dully, rubbing his head, "Those are just the forerunners. When my barrier collapses in… a minute or so, we'll up to our knees the little meepers."

Susan Fidelity Pie stared in open-mouthed shock at Ashen Blaze, an expression that was shared by Applejack and Fluttershy, and to a lesser extent Zecora. "Tell me yer jokin' Ash," Applejack said after a second, her voice weak and pleading. The grey, fire-maned unicorn shook his head sadly. "Shoot!" the farmpony exclaimed, "I gotta protect the apples!" She spun around and galloped away at full speed. Fluttershy also fled, heading into her house and starting to barricade everything.

"They're that bad are they?" Soul Mage asked dryly.

"A single parasprite can spell a town's doom," Zecora said, "Ponyville must be warned, lest their stores be consumed."

"Ugh," Ash grunted, shaking his head again, "We'll barely be ahead of the wave if we run, but I'm near to burnt out on magic. No teleports for a while."

"You're not the only pony with such a spell Ashen Blaze," Stella Moon said, power beginning to radiate from her whole being, "gather close my little ponies."


	7. Chapter 7: Face the Swarm

Twilight Sparkle was standing on the veranda of the town square pavilion, looking around at the orderly, innocent comings and goings of ponies either putting the finishing touches on their decorations or simply hanging out. The skies were finally clear, save for one cloud that Rainbow had brought down close to the ground to relax on after almost breaking her speed record for cloud kicking. To Twilight left, Pinkie Pie's hooves were drumming up a rapid staccato rhythm as her entire body shuddered uncontrollably. "You're absolutely sure the doozy's going to happen here?" the lavender unicorn asked her friend, looking skeptical.

"A-a-a-as s-s-sure a-as I can be-e-e abou-out a d-d-doozy," the party pony stammered through her vibrations. The queen of all Pinkie Sense twitches has struck not long after Twilight had stopped by to check on the preparations for the school-house party and had increased in frequency when Rainbow Dash happened by and the group made their way to the center of Ponyville. Like the previous time it had struck, Pinkie was at a complete loss as to the doozy's nature and Twilight was trying her best not to panic over the uncertainty.

With a flash of light, six ponies and a baby dragon appeared in front of the pavilion, creating a large crack of displaced air that brought all activity in the square to a halt as ponies turned to look. Pinkie's jitters increased to the point that Twilight was worried she'd start punching a hole in the veranda. Before anypony could ask what was going on, an unsteady-looking Ashen Blaze separated himself from the group and walked up onto the veranda and came over to the lavender unicorn. "Lucky coincidence seeing you here," he said with a grin, and then spotted Pinkie and wondered aloud, "or is it?"

"What's going on Ash?" Twilight asked.

"Ah, now… how do I say this?" the ash-grey stallion mused.

"As quickly as possible," Soul Mage snapped at him, coming up onto the veranda himself, "Twilight, there's about to be a sudden influx of parasprites." The moment the word left his mouth, a chorus of screams rose up from the west side of town as a veritable wave of multi-colored furballs rose up above the rooftops and came flowing toward the town square. Pinkie was hit with a number of odd spasms, her body inflating like a balloon for half a second at one point, before settling back onto the veranda jitter-free but wide-eyed in shock.

"That's a doozy all right," she said.

"Oh no," Twilight said, irises shrinking and mane frizzing as the parasprites began to descend on the town, "No no no no! Not now! This can't be happening!"

"We're doomed!" a cream-colored mare with a rose-red mane wailed. The crowd broke out into panic, running every which way to find cover to try and protect something. The parasprites milled about as well, searching for edible substances or some sort of mischievous fun. A bunch came for Rainbow Dash, who took off from her cloud and led them on a chase around the square.

"That could've gone better," Gale said dryly.

"Somepony needs to take charge here," Ash said, giving Twilight a meaningful look that the panicky unicorn failed to catch. Ash rolled his eyes and sighed. "All right, how do we-"

"_**BE STILL AND SILENT!**_" All motion in the square came to a stop; even the parasprites paused where they were under the influence of the Royal Canterlot Voice. All eyes turned to Stella Moon, who was standing tall and regal with a look on her face that commanded instant obedience. Her night-black mane was flowing behind her in an unfelt breeze, until Gold Heart recovered her senses and discreetly pointed it out to the tall unicorn.

"Princess Luna?" Twilight asked, gazing in surprise and confusion at the disguised alicorn, "What are you-"

"There are more pressing matters Twilight Sparkle," Luna said in a low voice, "Have you the means to take control of this situation?"

"I… yes," the lavender pony said, looking to the pink pony standing next to her. Pinkie returned the look with uncharacteristic seriousness. "What do you need?" Twilight asked.

"Time," Pinkie replied, indicating the parasprites that were starting to move about again, and then looked around the square. "Pie family!" she shouted. Susan ran over to stand in front of her sister and Maggie came galloping over from another part of the square. "Shoo Fly," Pinkie ordered, pacing on the veranda as she looked down at her sisters, "You're on rhythm duty. We need cymbals, a drum, and a metronome. Maggie, you get the flute, tuba and harmonica. I'll handle everything else. Are we ready?"

"Yes!" the two ponies replied smartly.

"Then let's go!" The Pie sisters dashed off in separate directions. The Order-naries and Luna looked on with expressions of confusion and were about to ask for an explanation when Twilight stepped up to the railing and called for everypony's attention.

"You all know what they're up to, I think," she said, "Anypony with a musical instrument to spare go get set it out where Pinkie or her sisters can find it. As for the rest of us, lock down all the food and try to corral the parasprites into groups. Remember, they can't hurt you and they're only after food. Don't let them have it. Go!" Emboldened by Twilight's take-charge attitude, the Ponyvillagers resumed running about, but this time with clearer purpose. To Gale, it didn't look much better than the panicked stampeding. "So, Ashen Blaze," Twilight started to say, only to pause for a moment as Rainbow Dash buzzed past with a small cloud of parasprites almost riding on her tail. Twilight grabbed the insectoids in her magic and pulled them down to the ground, keeping them immobilized under a dome of lavender energy. "What do you know about this?" she asked.

"And where have you been all day?" Gale added, glaring at the fire-maned unicorn.

"I assume I've been in the Everfree Forest," Ash answered, "Everything between when I started working on the _stinim_ rolls and roughly an hour and half ago is just a foggy blur in my mind. Whatever was influencing me sent me to a remote part of the forest where I found the Fountain of Eternal Grapes."

"Fountain of what now?" Soul asked incredulously.

"I kid you not," Ash said sincerely, "There was a stone fountain the likes of which you'd find in a Canterlot garden, except it was spewing red grapes like there was no tomorrow. They were really good quality grapes too, putting last year's best crop to shame."

"That makes absolutely no sense," Twilight said, "and that means it could only have come from one place: Discord."

"But Discord remains sealed in stone," Luna protested.

"That is true Princess," Twilight said, "but even after we ended his short stint of freedom, we kept finding little remnants of his handiwork here and there. I thought we'd finally got them all a couple months ago though… Anyway, what does this have to do with the parasprites?"

"As I presume you already now, one parasprite plus food equals more parasprites," Ash said, "So, what does two parasprites plus an ending source of grapes equal?" Twilight's jaw dropped and her hold on her captives weakened, allowing some to make a break for freedom. "I threw up a barrier around the fountain to keep the buggers away from the food," Ash continued, "but one of them ended up on the inside, so it wasn't long before I found myself and my poor excuse for unicorn magic trying to keep a stopper on… well, the present circumstances as I tried to make my way out of the woods to warn somepony. I must have blacked out from the effort because the next thing I knew I was outside the forest with this lot," he gestured to his companions, "and my magic wasn't active, leaving the barrier to run out its very short battery life. And now we're here, apparently waiting for Pinkie and her sisters to throw together an orchestra?"

"Parasprites are mesmerized by music," Twilight said, "or at least certain kinds of music. Last time the parasprites got into town, Pinkie's one-pony band was the only thing that got them to leave for good." She looked around with unusual calm for the circumstances at the square, which was becoming thick with parasprites as unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies worked together to keep them bunched up, but then her face fell. "Wait," she said, "if there are still parasprites around that fountain, even Pinkie's music might not be enough to stop them from coming back. We'll have to cut off the source. Rainbow!" The cyan pegasus, who had been busy bucking off another batch of overly-familiar bugs, gave one last spin to dislodge them and dove down toward the group.

"Kinda busy here," she said grouchily as her "friends" caught up with her. Luna grabbed the swarm and added them to the bunch Twilight was still holding, taking over for the lavender unicorn.

"There's a Discord remnant behind all this," Twilight explained, "round up the girls and meet up outside the Everfree."

"I'm on it Twi," Dash said with a salute. As she flew off, another band of parasprites tried to tail her, only to be blown aside by some other pegasi.

"Can you lead us to this grape fountain Ash?" Twilight asked.

"Twilight," the grey unicorn said with a flat look, "I was more or less unconscious going to _and_ from that spot."

"Zecora found him," Gold Heart said, "Assuming he didn't get too far before blacking out…"

"PC's bound to have a record of the magic surrounding the thing," Ash said, floating the head-mounted computer toward Twilight and flopping down onto the ground, "Get close enough and he'll guide you the rest of the way. If you don't mind, I'll be staying here and recharging."

Soul Mage grabbed the computer in his own magic and set it on his head. "Count me in," he said, "the more ponies we have traveling through those woods together, the better." Gale and Heart nodded in agreement.

"I shall remain here," Luna said, "Ponyville still needs protecting until this infestation can be removed."

"Yeah," Ash said lamely, "that too…"

* * *

><p>"Argh! Why are you so attracted to me?" Rainbow paused in her flight to once again shake off the parasprites that were forming a chain attached to her tail, delivering a kick to the face of the lead bug that left it dazed. While the voracious furballs regrouped, the cyan pegasus put some distance between her and them, keeping an eye out for her friends. She spotted Pinkie Pie galloping down the street a few blocks away, an accordion bouncing up and down on her rump with surprisingly musical rhythm. "Pinkie! Wait up," Dash shouted, speeding over to fly above the pink pony.<p>

"Hi Dashie," Pinkie said, "You seen a banjo anywhere?"

"No," Rainbow said, "List-" She stopped as her pursuers caught up with her and bunched up on her head. She shook them off and then gave a defeated sigh as they formed a belt around her middle instead. "Listen," she said, "Twilight needs the six of us to meet up at the Everfree forest as soon as possible."

"Why?" Pinkie said, barely slowing down, "What could be more important than getting rid of the parasprites?"

"Apparently there's something Discord-y in the forest that's making all these things," the pegasus said, brushing the parasprites off of herself.

Pinkie frowned in thought for a few seconds. "Ok," she said at last, "I'll meet you there."

"Don't forget your Element necklace," Rainbow called as she veered away, aiming toward Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie watched her go, and then huffed and changed her gait a little, drawing a tune from the accordion that began to draw the attention of the nearby 'sprites.

* * *

><p>Sweet Apple Acres was a veritable warzone when Rainbow Dash arrived. A trio of weather pegasi had managed to scrounge up clouds from somewhere and were using them as a barrier to keep the parasprite swarm from getting too high above the road for the earth ponies lining the fences to reach. The Apple clan was armed with brooms, shovels, mops, sticks, and anything else they could fit their mouths around and use to try and beat back the multi-colored bugs. Rainbow, sporting a parasprite beard, came to a stop and surveyed the battlefield, looking for her orange, blonde-maned friend and rival. She spotted her near the gate, running behind the main defense line calling out encouragement and orders as the parasprites tried to exploit holes in the defense. The pegasus shook the parasprites off her face and started to dive toward Applejack when she saw Apple Bloom, who had been perched on the fence wielding a butterfly net, lose her balance and fall to the ground, opening a hole that the 'sprites quickly moved to take advantage of.<p>

"Oh no you don't," Rainbow said, zipping over to head off the flow. She reached them just as they began to fly up toward the apple-laden branches of the trees closest to the fence and forced them down with powerful wing strokes.

"Great timing there Rainbow," Applejack said as she and Big Mac came galloping over, "Keep it up."

"No problem," the pegasus said, backing up slightly to sweep up a parasprite that was threatening to slip out of her downdraft. AJ and Mac flanked the swarm while Apple Bloom trotted over to do her best helping Rainbow push them back toward the fence. Once the enemy was pushed back and Bloom was back at her post, Applejack gave Dash a thankful smile and turned to leave. "AJ, hold up," Rainbow said, "There's something in the Everfree Forest that's responsible for all these parasprites. Twilight needs all of us to take it out."

"Shoot, really?" Applejack said, looking around with concern, "I don't want ta leave the farm like this, but…"

"I think we can spare one pony," Macintosh said, "With the whole of the Apple Family here, ain't nothin' gonna get to our crops."

"I do hope yer right big brother," AJ said, and then nodded to Rainbow. "I'll be there in a jiffy."

* * *

><p>The parasprite swarm hung like a pastel-colored fog over Ponyville as Twilight, Heart, Soul, Gale, and Rarity arrived at the edge of the Everfree Forest. The group had found the fashionista at her boutique after picking up Twilight's Element tiara from the library, and she had been hesitant to leave until Twilight threw a hat out into the street to prove that the parasprites weren't going to eat Rarity's work. Zecora and some of the braver animal tenants were defending Fluttershy's herb garden from a surprisingly small number of parasprites, so all that was left to do was to get the shy pegasus out of her house and wait for the other three Element Bearers to arrive. Twilight walked up and knocked on the door and was instantly answered by a panicked shout from within, "NO! Go away! You'lllettheParaspritesin!"<p>

"Fluttershy," Twilight started to say, and then paused and activated her magic, creating a dome of energy around her and the door. "Open up Fluttershy," she said, "I won't let them get past me." Silence greeted that declaration, so she tried again, "There's something in the forest feeding the parasprites. If we don't get rid of it, they'll never go away." After a tense moment, Twilight heard the sounds of objects being moved around and the cottage door finally cracked open. Fluttershy peered out and her eyes widened in understanding when she saw the tiara on Twilight's head.

"I'll be right out," the yellow pegasus whispered, "don't let them in."

While Twilight waited by the door, maintaining the shield, Soul Mage made his way over to the herb garden, firing short bursts of spirit magic from his horn to stun the parasprites flitting around the area. Zecora gave him a thankful nod as he took down the last one and then turned her gaze toward the forest expectantly. "I have to say," the golden-yellow unicorn said, "I'm surprised there aren't more parasprites around here." No sooner had he finished speaking than a thick cloud of parapsrites came pouring out from the trees. Most passed by the cottage, heading for town, but a few held back to try their luck at getting to Fluttershy's herbs.

"As you can see, they come in waves," Zecora said as she swatted the insectoids away, "But even with the lulls, the situation is grave."

"No kidding," Soul said, "if the town's not eaten out of house and home, they'll be smothered under all this fuzz. Ash told us why they're multiplying, but he can't remember where exactly the source is."

"Parasprites will leave nothing edible in their wake," Zecora said, "Barren trees and stripped bushes should mark the path you should take." She smacked a parasprite with her tail and then pursed her lips in thought. "It is strange how they go straight for Ponyville," she said at last, "It's as if they have a purpose beyond eating their fill."

"Well," Soul said," if we're right about where the…" he trailed off as the sounds of polka music drifted in from the direction of town. The parasprites that were still mobile stopped and turned as one toward the music, starting to bob in time with the beat. Fluttershy emerged from her house with her Element necklace on and joined the others in watching as the multi-colored swarm encompassing Ponyville began pulsing with the rhythm and congregating toward the source. A few minutes later, Pinkie Pie marched into view, her two sisters three steps behind her and innumerable parasprites bouncing along behind them in perfect formation, six columns wide and seemingly endless in length. Pinkie had a banjo hanging from her neck, an accordion balanced on her haunches, and a pair of tambourines tied to her rear legs, all sounding off from her high-stepping gait, while she played the melody line on a harmonica. Susan was playing a tuba while keeping the beat with a set of cymbals on her front legs and Maggie was balancing a drum on her back with a drum stick rigged to her leg so that it struck on every other step while somehow managing to play the flute. A ways down the line of parasprites, Rainbow Dash and Applejack could be seen walking along the side of the road toward the cottage, their respective Element jewels adorning their necks.

"Boy, I tell you," the farm-pony said as she came up to the flummoxed Order-naries and the less bewildered other ponies gathered at Fluttershy's gate, "This is no less mind-blowing than the last time, and I was expectin' it this time around!"

"Is it that specific march they're playing, or does music in general work?" Gale asked, watching the parade of 'sprites bouncing by and heading into the forest while the Pies took up positions on either side of the path.

"Dunno," AJ said with a shrug.

"Well, either way, cheers for the Pie Pipers of Ponyville," Soul said with a big grin.

"Pie Piper…" Heart muttered, and then groaned, face-hoofed, and smacked Soul upside the head with her wing. "I almost didn't catch that one."

"Please sis, anyone could've pulled that one," Soul said, rolling his eyes, "Anyway, let's see here. Six Elements of Harmony, three Order-naries, one Zebra, two back-up musicians…"

"Hey now," Susan said crossly, leaving off the tuba playing for a second.

"Pardon, just a jest," Soul said with an apologetic wave of his hoof, "Shall we press on?"

"Yes," Twilight said, stepping out onto the path and joining the flow toward the Everfree Forest, "Let's go everypony. You too Pinkie Pie." Pinkie nodded, not taking her mouth off the harmonica, and then gestured for her sisters to stay put and keep an eye on the parade. When they nodded their agreement, the pink pony turned and began marching into the woods, with her friends running to catch up with her.


	8. Chapter 8: Resolutions and Forebodings

Once the Pie Pipers had started playing and the parasprites began making their way out of town in an orderly fashion, the atmosphere in the town square lightened considerably. Once they were sure that things were under control, ponies began emerging from their homes and stores and taking stock of the situation. Every flower pot, garden plot, and improperly covered cart had been relieved of their vegetative contents, but it seemed as if everything inside the buildings had been spared. Princess Luna, still maintaining her disguise as the unicorn Stella Moon, had been going non-stop lending her magic to the efforts of keeping parasprites away from windows and alleyways and now that the immediate crisis was resolving itself, she finally allowed herself to acknowledge how tired she was as she waded through the bouncing parasprite procession toward the pavilion. She found Ashen Blaze relaxing with his front legs crossed on the railing of the veranda, his head nodding slightly in time with the music that was fading away toward the distant Everfree Forest.

"Impressively handled Princess," Ash said, smiling at her.

"Nix," the disguised alicorn hissed at him, "call me Stella." Ash gave her a slight frown and dropped down to all fours.

"Can we talk?" he asked, walking over to the steps and hopping down to the street, "We can go somewhere more private."

"Do you intend to lecture me?" Luna asked, walking over to him just to be able to keep her voice low, "I do not need to explain myself to you, nor do I care your opinion on this matter."

"What matter?" Ash asked pointedly, "Your fear of your own subjects?" He began to walk away, counting backward from five under his breath as Luna gaped at him. When he reached two, he was suddenly hefted off the ground by magic and spun around to face the angry glare of the disguised princess. Stunned to silence by his miscalculation, he could only stare blankly back at her. Luna's horn flared brighter and the two teleported to the outskirts of Ponyville, where she let the ash-grey unicorn drop back to the ground.

"I do not fear my subjects Ashen Blaze," Luna said sharply, "If anything, they still harbor fear of me. I have come a long way in gaining the trust and respect of all ponies in the year since I escaped my prison, but it has only been one year. It is hardly appropriate for me to take part openly in the very holiday I nearly ruined."

"I recall hearing you took a much different approach on your first Nightmare Night," Ash said flatly.

"Nightmare Night is different," Luna retorted, "My intention was to separate myself from the absurdly fanciful version of Nightmare Moon that stands at that holiday's core. I cannot separate myself from the reality that was the previous Summer Sun Celebration. Not yet." Ash's head tilted slightly as he regarded the Princess critically, and Luna returned the look in full. The sound of approaching hooves distracted Ash from formulating a new argument and the two ponies turned to look as the hoof-steps accelerated from a walk to a fast trot. A silvery-maned, azure unicorn wearing a purple cape was heading toward them, a look of pleased surprise on her face. Three other ponies – a mustard-yellow earth pony, a caramel-cream pegasus, and an anxious-looking young sea-green earth pony – were following her at a slower pace.

"Fancy meeting you here, 'Stella Moon,'" Trixie said, coming to a stop and giving the disguised princess a conspiratorial wink.

"I could say the same for you," Luna replied, "How are you faring Trixie?"

"Trixie is doing wonderfully," the showmare declared grandly, and then finally noticed Ash. "Ah, Ashen Blaze, right?" she asked. Ash simply nodded and Trixie bowed her head thankfully to him, saying, "I don't recall if I ever thanked you for the advice you gave me when we first met."

"Life is always easier when one is _true to oneself_," Ash responded, giving Luna another hard look.

"Stop being difficult Ashen Blaze," the disguised princess snapped, "I was under the impression that you were supposed to be relaxing and enjoying yourself today."

"I intended to," Ash said coolly, "but then the parasprites happened and-"

"And that situation is now under control," Luna cut him off, "Go back to your business and leave me to mine." Ash glowered and started walking into town, muttering darkly under his breath. "My apologies Trixie," Luna said to the showmare, "He has his good points, but sometimes…" She shook her head and then looked over at Trixie's friends as they approached. "Won't you introduce me to your friends?" she asked.

"With pleasure, Stella," Trixie answered with a knowing smile. Just as she raised a hoof to point to Harlequin, however, a thunderous boom drew all attention to the direction of the Everfree Forest. Jaws dropped as a thick column made entirely of parasprites - or at least parasprite-colored dots – shot up into the sky and began arcing toward the town, only to be overtaken by a rapidly expanding dome of rainbow magic a few seconds later. The rainbow washed through Ponyville like a tidal wave, and as it passed over Luna she recognized the familiar warmth of the Elements of Harmony powering it, and then realized it was threatening to dissolve her Stella Moon disguise. As soon as the wave had passed her completely by, she re-set the illusion and looked around to see if anypony had noticed – namely Trixie's companions. They were all staring dumbstruck in the direction the Element blast had originated from, Trixie included.

"What was that?" a small, nervous voice asked. Luna glanced over at Trixie's group and saw the sea-green mare freezing up under the attention that was suddenly being turned on her.

"That was the Elements of Harmony at work," Luna said, trying to make her voice as gentle as possible.

"It took out the parasprites," Ash called out from down the road. Luna looked up and saw that, sure enough, the swarm that had risen from beyond the town was nowhere to be seen. "You lot can do what you want," the ash-grey unicorn said, "but I'm going to see how the strike team is faring." He resumed taking his leave, galloping down the road.

"What's he going on about?" Harlequin asked dubiously.

"Follow me and I'll explain on the way good sir," Luna said.

* * *

><p>Ash, with "Stella Moon" and Trixie's company not too far behind him, arrived at Fluttershy's cottage to find a scene of happy exhaustion. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony were gathered around a table set up in the shade of a tree talking in low tones while Spike and Angel Bunny brought out a tea service. Soul Mage and the female Order-naries were lying on the ground on the other side of the tree, all three seemingly asleep until Soul looked up to see who was arriving. "Geez Soul," Ash said as the golden-yellow unicorn stood up and walked over to him, "you guys look like you've all done a round or two of Uther-tier training."<p>

"I wouldn't compare it to that," Soul said, "but it certainly wasn't fun. Hey there Stella, Trixie, other ponies I don't recognize. I suspect you all want to hear our tale."

"Yes," Trixie said, "How is it that we did not encounter a single one of those… bugs on our way over here?"

"And why was there a parasprite mushroom cloud just before the Elements went off?" Ash asked.

"Discord was definitely responsible for that fountain of grapes existing," Twilight said in answer, "all the parasprites that were produced from eating the grapes had traces of his power in them, and they tried to physically block us from reaching their source."

"They couldn't stop us for long though," Rainbow Dash said, "between my awesome flying and Heart and Soul using their weird powers, we cut a path straight through to the fountain."

"Heh," Applejack said, giving the smug pegasus a sidelong look, "Way I saw it, you were spending more time keeping those 'sprites from using you like a playground than anythin' else."

"I was distracting them," Rainbow replied smoothly before pouring herself some tea.

"The parasprites weren't too keen on coming into contact with our spirit power," Soul said, picking up the tale, "So Heart and I figured if we cut the fountain with an Element Wheel it would at least slow down the grape production and buy the girls some breathing room to charge the Elements."

"Bad idea?" Ash asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"You have no idea," Soul said flatly, "Actually, you saw what happened. They probably saw what happened all the way out beyond Canterlot. The fountain stopped making grapes as soon as the Element Wheel sliced through it and exploded with chaos-charged parasprites instead."

"It was simply terrifying," Rarity said with a shudder, "We were fortunate enough that Twilight kept her head long enough to start focusing the Elements, and of course once that started everything was under control."

"Universal reset buttons. Gotta love them," Soul said wryly, "Anyway, I'm tired, Heart's out like a light, Gale's worn out from hunting after you all day on top of wandering through the woods, one of Pinkie's sisters is returning the instruments while the other one's inside fixing snacks, Zecora's gone to check on her home, and I think we're just going to crash here until the parties start up in a few hours."

"How's Ponyville?" Pinkie asked as Soul walked back to his napping spot.

"Intact," Ash said simply.

"Sugar Cube Corner?" the party pony pressed grimly.

"Its defenses held and its edible contents remain un-gobbled," Stella said. Pinkie brightened up considerably and downed her tea in a single gulp before dashing away.

"I better go see what the damage is at the farm," Applejack said, stepping away from the table, "I'm trusting that the orchard survived, but we're probably gonna be a mite short with our food offerings this evening."

"I don't think anypony will mind so long as there _is_ food," Twilight said, smiling, "See you at the library?"

"Eyup," AJ said, winking over her shoulder as she walked away, "just make sure yer the last one ta show up Twi."

"What does she mean by that?" Trixie asked, "You live in the library Twilight; why would others be gathering there without you around?"

"I've been in Ponyville for exactly one year now Trixie," Twilight explained, "And since I kinda skipped out on the surprise 'Welcome to Town' party, Pinkie's recreating it this year, including springing the 'surprise' on me when I go home. You and your friends can show up if you want to Trixie. You too, uh…" She gave the disguised princess a questioning look.

"Stella Moon," the tall pony said, "and I think I would enjoy that."

"Wonderful," Twilight said, clapping happily, "I'll show up to kick things off around sunset. Now I just need to keep myself busy until then…"

* * *

><p>Luna was amazed at how well Ponyville cleaned itself up. It had been only an hour or so since the Parasprites had been removed and as the disguised princess wandered around the town square she could see no signs that the ravenous fur-balls had ever been there. Heart and Soul, and Gale as well, were still napping at Fluttershy's house, so Luna was more or less on her own for the moment. Ashen Blaze had tried to follow and confront her about her disguise again, but after she temporarily turned his mouth into a zipper he took the hint and left her alone. She had considered attaching herself to Trixie's group, but the way young Cabbage Patch fearfully avoided her gaze reminded Luna too strongly of the weeks just after she'd been freed of the Nightmare. Thus Luna, disguised as a dark lavender unicorn in order to blend in with the normal ponies, was wandering the town with only her thoughts for company.<p>

With a sigh, she looked up at the late-afternoon sun, calculating the time until sunset and wondering what Celestia was doing at the moment. Depending on her mood and how the Fillydelphia ponies carried themselves, Luna suspected her sister would either be having some subtle fun with the city leaders or simply making herself scarce until the dawn. _I wouldn't put it past her to be stealing my idea of hiding as a normal pony, to be honest,_ she thought, _she loves being able to connect with our subjects. Must come naturally for being the ruler of the day…_ She shook her head firmly, dismissing that train of thought. It was innocent enough, but it had been thoughts such as that which had led Luna to embrace the Nightmare Moon persona.

"Excuse me." Luna gave a start at the voice that had come from her right and she looked down to see a purplish-grey earth pony with a light grey mane and tail and a lapis lazuli cutie mark. "Forgive me if I'm interrupting anything Princess," she said, "but you have the look of a pony in need of company."

"I'm afraid you must be confused," Luna said, "I am just an average unicorn."

"Your disguise is exceptional," the earth pony said conversationally, "It would fool most ponies, I'm sure, but you can't hide your true aura. Not from my sight anyway."

Luna regarded the pony appraisingly for a moment before responding. "You are one of Pinkie Pie's sisters," she said, "Shoo Fly I believe she called you?"

"Susan Fidelity Pie at your service," Susan said, bowing, "My real talent is for the many applications of rock farming, but my reputation for sensing auras seems to be overtaking it lately. Might I ask why you are hiding yourself? Especially with tomorrow being what it is…"

"That is precisely why Susan Pie," Luna answered, "Tomorrow is a celebration of Celestia's gift of sunlight to Equestria, and I wish to experience it as it was intended, without my presence causing any disruption or concern."

"I see," Susan said, nodding, "Well, you won't be getting the experience you want standing around here by yourself. Have you seen the decorations in the pavilion yet?"

"I don't believe so," the disguised princess said.

"Neither have I," Susan said, nodding toward the tall round building, "Let's do so now, before it becomes crowded with ponies."

"You don't need to speak so formally you know," Luna said as they walked, "So far as the average pony knows, I'm just another visitor. Call me Stella, please."

"Very well," Susan said. She let Luna take the lead as they entered the pavilion. Except for the mayor, who was paying unusually close attention to the buffet tables, there were no ponies in the main room to distract from the decorations. Luna tried to keep a smile on her face as she looked at the banners emblazoned with Celestia's solar cutie mark that hung from the rafters and the general… sunniness of the decorations, but deep inside she couldn't help but feel some twinges of sadness and envy. Then her eyes fell upon a table set up against the wall underneath one of the balconies on right side of the building and she gasped in surprise and went to get a closer look. Somepony had put a black tablecloth dotted with white and yellow stars over the table and tied bunches of dark blue balloons, each bearing a crescent silver moon, to the legs. Shiny metal stars dangled from the bottom of the balcony, and on the table itself stood a wooden cut-out of what Luna recognized as the Nightmare Night emblem, only painted to resemble her face with a kind expression peering from behind a silver moon. Luna was so enraptured and confused at the sight that she didn't realize that Susan had come up beside her until the earth pony spoke. "Personally," she said softly, "I don't see the Summer Sun Celebration as simply about Princess Celestia raising the sun. She does that every day. It's a commemoration of the triumph of Harmony over darkness and-" She stopped suddenly and bit her lip, realizing her faux pas a second too late.

"Darkness, anger, and jealousy," Luna murmured, her eyes fixed on the table in front of her, "And not just once, but twice over… Can I have a moment please? I need to think."

"Of course," Susan said, bowing her head briefly and walking away quietly.

* * *

><p>The sun was just starting to touch the horizon when Twilight Sparkle went home. She stole a glance through the window and smiled when she saw a blur of color duck out of sight. She waited a couple seconds before opening the door with her magic and walking inside. "Oh dear," she said in obviously fake innocence as she closed the door, "It looks like all my lights went out while I was gone. Let's see, where's the lantern?"<p>

She walked four paces toward the center of the room and failed to fight down a smile when the lights flared on and all the ponies gathered around the edge of the room yelled out "Surprise!"

"Oh my," Twilight said, faking surprise as best she could, "A surprise party? For me? I'm- Ok, I'm sorry, I can't keep that up," she finished with a laugh.

"Good enough," Pinkie Pie said, popping out of the crowd and landing in front of Twilight, "So, what do you really think?"

Twilight looked around, taking in the scene properly for the first time. Unlike the original welcome party where Pinkie had pulled in most of Ponyville, the guest list was composed mostly of those ponies Twilight knew particularly well. There were the five mares who made up the core of her social circle of course, along with Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom, Cheerilee, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Derpy to name a few. The four Order-naries stood in their own little group near the refreshments, and Trixie with her three companions were in another part of the room, Barnacle keeping a wing around Cabbage Patch while trying to talk her into looking up from the floor. A modest, for Pinkie, amount of streamers and balloons decorated the library, and from the gramophone and stack of records sitting on a table by the stairs Twilight knew there would plenty of dancing involved. "It's great Pinkie," she said, "but I have one question: is that hot sauce there by the cupcakes?"

"Yep," the party pony said, "just like last time."

"Why…" Twilight began, but then shook her head and said, "Never mind, let's just get this started."

"All right!" Pinkie shouted, bouncing over to the gramophone, "You heard her everypony, let's boogie!" She gave the gramophone a light kick to start it up, but it only spun slowly for a second before stopping again. "Huh," Pinkie said, giving it close scrutiny, "Give me a sec; I think I forgot to wind it."

While Pinkie went to work on getting the music going, the party guests started to mingle. As they did so, Twilight took another look around and frowned, realizing that she didn't see a face she'd been expecting to see. She went over to the refreshment table, where it appeared that Gale was starting to tease Ashen Blaze about something, and got Soul Mage's attention. "Do you know where Princess Luna is?" the lavender unicorn asked in a whisper.

"I haven't seen her for a while," Soul whispered back, "It's sunset though, so she's probably getting the moon-raising done with before she comes here." Twilight nodded and took a cookie from the table before turning away to talk to somepony else. She decided to take another shot at helping Cabbage Patch feel comfortable and went to ask Fluttershy for help. Just as she reached the yellow pegasus, the sun sank completely below the horizon and the lights in the library suddenly dropped, staying just bright enough to see by. Everypony looked around in confusion until one of the guests gasped and pointed out a glowing blue mist sparkling with starlight flying around near the ceiling. It made a few circuits of the room, and the hesitated for a second before flying to the top of the stairs and billowing up. Everypony watched the mist with trepidation, except for the Order-naries, Trixie, and Twilight, who had a fair notion that they knew what was up. With a flare of night-blue wings, the mist dispersed to reveal Princess Luna in all her regal, ethereal-flowing-maned splendor.

"Twilight Sparkle," she said in a decidedly royal but ear-friendly voice, "We are disappointed your home lacks a proper interior balcony for our dramatic entrance."

"Um, sorry?" Twilight said, caught between amusement and worry.

"Worry not," the princess said diplomatically, "it is my own fault not studying the stage before making my plans." Keeping her wings open, she walked halfway down the stairs as he gaze swept over the party guests, most of whom were shifting uncomfortably as they tried to guess her intentions. Spotting an orange pegasus filly with a purple mane, Luna pointed at her and said, "You there. Tell us, what is thy favorite part of the Summer Sun Celebration?"

"Uh…" Scootaloo said, trying to look as confident as possible, "Oh, that's easy. Trying to stay up all night so I can watch the sunrise."

"Is it the sunrise or the staying up that pleases you more?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Both?" Scootaloo said after a moment of head-scratching.

Luna chuckled and folded her wings to her sides, shifting to a less intimidating stance. "Fair enough," she said with mirth, "As the Princess of the Night, I declare this party shall last until sunrise!"

"Woo hoo!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, giving the gramophone a solid kick. The music started up and Luna allowed the lights to rise back up.

"What was the point of all that?" Ash asked, making his way over to Luna.

"It is tradition for a Princess to make a big impression when she enters a room," Luna said, "especially if she is late and needs to reassure the hostess that she means no disrespect."

"So you're dropping the Stella Moon act I take it?" Ash asked.

"Just for now," Luna said, "The night is my realm, and I should feel no need to hide while the moon travels the sky. Stella will return with the dawn; there's still plenty of fun I want to have without any royal considerations."

"Guess I'll take my victories where I can," Ash said, rolling his eyes as he walked away. Luna shook her head slightly as she watched him take up a position by the food.

"Come on Princess," Twilight said, walking up to give her a nudge, "don't let him get you down. Pinkie will have him smiling as soon as she sees him being a grump."

"Will it be a true smile though?" Luna mused, but then smiled down at the lavender unicorn. The two climbed down the stairs and joined the party, which did indeed last until the time came to gather for the sunrise.

* * *

><p>~x~x~x~<p>

* * *

><p>Ashen Blaze allowed himself a real smile as he entered the modified storage room located near the center of Canterlot Castle's first subterranean level. The fuzziness leading up to the Parasprite attack aside, he had to admit that it had been nice to get away from his normal routine and spend time in Ponyville, but the ash-grey unicorn was best satisfied by what most would consider work. Ideally, he'd want to be out searching for and stopping evil and chaos, but Equestria didn't normally have problems on a scale that warranted his attention. Besides that, his own powers were easily eclipsed by the Elements of Harmony. As a warrior mage living in a relatively peaceful world, Ash had changed his goals to unlocking the secret that limited his ability to use magic, and Princess Celestia had provided him with a workroom in the castle in which to conduct his research. The room he had just entered was not that workroom; rather, it was more of a jail cell for a very dangerous prisoner: Discord.<p>

Although the Dragonequus had been sealed back into stone by the Elements of Harmony and was likely to remain so for a long time, the Princesses had not wanted to take any chances. The petrified spirit had been brought to this room to isolate Discord from the presence of any disharmonious activity, and Ash's unique perspective and experience with magic had been called upon to examine the seal and gauge its strength. An imperfection had been discovered and exploited once by an unknown agent, and after applying a patch to the imperfection it had become Ash's duty to take a shift in guarding the statue against the return of the mysterious entity. Outwardly, it was a long, uneventful job, but Ash enjoyed it. Seeing the Spirit of Disharmony trapped in a perpetual pose of shock and disbelief gave the unicorn much pleasure and hope for the cause of Order and Peace.

_How ironic it is that he's being guarded by the same pony who let him have one last game._

"Indeed," Ash said, and then shot upright from his reclining position against the wall. That thought had not been his own, but he recognized the pitch and rhythm of it. Standing up on all fours, he took a few steps toward the statue and glared up at its face. "How are you speaking again?" he asked, "my patch on the seal was practically perfect."

_You give yourself too much credit _Meis Thamule_, _came the mental reply.

"Do _not_ call me that," Ash snapped, "You shouldn't even know that accursed title. Unless… oh, but of course you delved deeper into my thoughts than I would have allowed. Tricky Chaos demons…" He approached the statue and began to walk around it slowly.

_Demon?_ Discord asked, _That's a rather harsh title, don't you think? I do not kill, nor do I engage in any true malice._

"Oh, that's seriously debatable," Ash said, and then shook his head firmly. "Shut up," he said, "I should not be humoring you with this conversation."

_Just like you shouldn't have made use of my power, oh, how long ago was it? Time is so hard to keep track of in here. I must say, attempting to increase my prison's strength after I helped you acquire the ingredients you needed… One would think you were just using me, and for such a petty-_

"Yes," Ash said, beginning a second circuit of the statue, "It would be petty if synthesizing _stinim_ had been my true goal with that 'arrangement' of ours. Nope, I just needed to get your energy focused on something besides me and this room so I could patch the seal. Even if you did overstep your bounds and display more power than I thought you could, the game still ended in complete victory for the side of Harmony." He reared up and placed a hoof on Discord's tail to get a better look at the upper half of the dragonequus.

_And nopony suspected a thing,_ Discord said in an approving tone, _not even Celestia. You are still the perfect little soldier of order in their eyes, one who has done no wrong._

Ash snorted in laughter. "You don't know me after all Discord," he said, "The day my fellow Order-naries don't suspect me of doing something sneaky is the day I suspect mind-control is in effect. What they wouldn't suspect, however, is that I would ever work alongside the likes of you."

_And should they discover the truth?_

"I won't deny it," Ash said simply, dropping to the ground and rubbing his chin, "I'm under no obligation to confess to anything I'm not suspected of, but I never lie when questioned directly. Whether the Princesses or the Element Bearers will forgive me is irrelevant." He transferred his hoof from his chin to the side of his head and gave himself a couple of light smacks. "_Skvetchte…_ Stop talking!" he snapped, whether to himself or Discord, it didn't matter much. He propped himself up on the statue's tail again and squinted, sniffing lightly as if trying to catch a scent. _Where is it?_ he thought, _I Wove the darn patch, so I ought to be able to sense its location. Why can't I see-_ All of a sudden his vision was filled with a tangled web of multi-colored lines and a wave of scents and aromas hit him like a feather pillow to the face. Off guard and overwhelmed by the sensations, Ash stumbled away from Discord on his hind legs and slumped against the back wall of the room. As his mind struggled to adjust, old instincts awakened and fingers that he no longer possessed began to itch to grasp the ephemeral strands and weave them together. Stifling his alarm, the grey unicorn screwed his eyes shut and rubbed at them. It had been far too long since he had been able to sense the flows of magical energy in the world around him and he had given up hope of every being able to do so again, so he had neglected his mental training to screen all but the most important information.

_Is there a problem?_ Discord asked, false concern coloring his thoughts, _didn't you want this?_

"Shut up," Ash hissed, trying to clear his mind. He kept his eyes closed until the sensation of being surrounded by a multitude of random powerful scents faded to a mere background curiosity. There were no actual scents in the room; the sensations were simply one way Ash's brain interpreted the magical energy near him. The lines of light, which had mostly disappeared when the unicorn finally opened his eyes, were another way, but one that worked at a far shorter range than the scents. Ash shook his head once and looked up at the petrified dragonequus. The magic lines he could still see were focused on the statue, most of them leading to a woven patch of light resting between Discord's wings, but a few were attached to other points and two linked Ash and Discord. Ash lifted a hoof and passed it through the linking threads, frowning when they didn't react. "Fully occupied," he muttered, opening his mind a little to bring more threads into view. They stretched across the room seemingly at random, and those nearest to Ash gave ever-so-slightly when he touched them. "Occupied, but not locally," he mused, his curiosity rising until he remembered where he was. "What is this?" he asked, glaring at Discord, "This is your doing, but how?"

_Have we met?_ Discord asked sarcastically, _I'm-_

"Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony," Ash deadpanned, "and powerful reality warper. One, however, who is presently _locked in stone_ and supposedly powerless! Stay out of my head." He reached toward a nearby magic thread, intending to call it to him, but it barely twitched before returning to its resting position. "_Skvetch_," Ash swore, "Smart, giving me only the sight and not the means to control the energy. I won't be playing your game anymore anyway Discord." He stood up and walked toward the door, plotting out a spell to send a warning flare to one of the Princesses to inform them of a problem with the dragonequus.

_Hold on,_ Discord said when Ash was halfway to the door, _What if I told you why your magic doesn't work right?_

"It's the hooves," Ash said, "That's a big part of it anyway. No manual dexterity means slow casting or simplistic weaves. And that's fine."

_I don't believe you,_ the chaos spirit said, _and I don't think you believe you either. I could turn you into something with fingers. You could be a griffon, or maybe a small dragon, or how about… a human?_

Despite himself, Ash came to a stop and looked back at the statue. "Impossible," he said curtly.

_Reality warper here,_ Discord said, _must we go over this again?_

"It seems we must," Ash replied, "You. Are. STONE. Sealed, with only enough power to speak to my mind. You'd love it if I had the kind of power you're offering; I'd cause enough trouble to crack that seal through and through. And there's only one being in this universe who would want that." He turned away and began walking to the door again.

_What if I told you how to return to your world?_

"_Nicht goh_ _vet'ciu_," Ash said flatly, "Impossibility absolute. Curious, you know my shameful former name, but in your perusal of my memories, you didn't learn that world I called home was destroyed by a demon of chaos, Tau'rin? Know the whole story before you start begging for a deal."

_You've encountered Tau'rin and survived?_ Discord asked, sounding genuinely amazed.

"You speak as if you knew him," Ash said suspiciously.

_But of course,_ Discord said, _Chaos is older than most forms of dirt, so for a while all there was was a bunch of spirits of chaos having fun. But then boring old orderliness had to come in and try to interrupt everything. I can't say I ever liked Tau'rin though, going around with those Gems punching big black craters into planets and trying to be some sort of imperial overlord or something._

"Ok, you're full of it," Ash said, rolling his eyes and turning once again toward the door. He paused for a second as he found himself further from it than he remembered being, and then shook his head and said, "Ultimate Chaos destroyed entire universes. My team and I, we felt the fabric of reality tear apart around us every time we got dragged into the next world. Thirteen worlds were lost before we came here to Equestria and finished Tau'rin off."

_So that's how you got here,_ Discord mused, and then exclaimed, _you killed Tau'rin?_

"Luna struck the blow that broke one of the Gems," Ash said, "but it was thanks to me and the Order-naries that the reaction was kept contained. Scarred the throne room floor, but nothing besides the demon was actually destroyed."

_And this happened… when?_

"Before your brief escape," Ash said simply.

_Of course,_ Discord said, _I would have sensed his presence otherwise… Yes, I owe you a favor; if you hadn't stopped him then, there wouldn't be any mountain here, no castle, no gardens, and especially no _ME!_ Name-_

"There would have been no anything," Ash said with certainty.

_Have you ever seen Ultimate Chaos from the outside Ash?_ The dragonequus asked.

"I think the answer is obvious."

_Take it from someone who knows,_ Discord said, _Just because reality gets shifted or torn where you are doesn't mean it's happening everywhere. Tau'rin's loss of control over the Gems left a scar that can be seen from space while it shunted him to another universe, but not much more._

The implications were immediately obvious to Ashen Blaze. In a corner of his mind, a voice of reason continued to raise warnings, but it was quickly being drowned out by curiosity and thoughts that had not crossed the mage's mind in years. "Taryn, the Shadowstar…" Finding himself at the feet of the statue, he looked up at the fear-filled eyes of the petrified spirit. "How can I know you speak truth?" he asked.

_I may mince words and speak in riddles,_ Discord's thought filled Ash's mind, _but within every phrase is a kernel of truth. Outright lies only weaken you._

"Truth," Ash said with a nod.

_Have you ever taken a close look at where you entered Equestria?_ Discord asked, _While I was free, I noticed a couple of places where reality's fabric had been torn open. One was above a cottage just outside Ponyville, and the other was deep in the Everfree Forest. I intended to investigate them after I'd settled with the Elements of Harmony, but…_ Ash smirked. _If anything can prove to you that your old home still exists, it will be finding a way to peer through one of those rips._

"If Taryn still stands…" Ash said dreamily, and then sobered and turned away from Discord. "The prospect is inspiring, but don't start thinking you've convinced me. If I pursue this, it will be on my terms."

_Of course_, Discord replied as Ash exited the room and closed the door behind him. The threads of power linking the dragonequus to the unicorn disconnected and snapped into a resting position coiling loosely around the statue. Alone in every sense of the word, Discord allowed himself a deep, wicked laugh as the weave of magic between his wings loosened almost imperceptibly.

**End of Act I**


	9. Act II: Chapter 1: A Day's Work

The noon-day summer sun shone down upon the canopy of the Everfree Forest, which rustled and sulked in its untamed defiance of pony magic. The trees grew thick and bent in the trunk, their upper branches spread as wide as possible and lush with leaves that greedily soaked up most of the sunlight, allowing just enough to nourish the lower foliage and give the diurnal animal residents a clear view around them, provided the mists were not too heavy. The Forest's defiance of ponykind's attempts to manage it, as well as the monsters and carnivorous animals which it gave shelter to made it a place where few would tread without a particularly good reason, and no intelligent being of Equestrian origin would even consider building a home in. It comes as no surprise then that the forest's one resident that outsiders would consider civilized was not Equestrian by birth.

The zebra alchemist Zecora lived in the Everfree, dwelling in a hut carved into an exceptionally short and wide-based tree, for two reasons: the wild forest was home to many a strange and useful plant from which she could derive ingredients, and she understood in a way no pony ever could how the Everfree valued strength and fortitude over compassion and mercy. Long before she had first approached Ponyville, and the challenges of prejudice and ostracizing that came with it, she had won herself a wide circle of forest through which even fierce manticores and sneaky cockatrices would travel with the utmost care for fear of awaking the striped equine's displeasure. She still had to defend herself from time to time when she was out gathering, but mostly from young creatures who hadn't earned an aching nose or a fever dream from her.

On this particular day, the rash and the stupid monster whelps were moderately safer, as Zecora was at home with her cauldron, mixing up a fresh batch of what was becoming her most popular product: an herbal bath remedy prized by the Aloe and Lotus of the Ponyville Spa for its fragrance and soothing properties on mild skin irritants, and gratefully far less in demand for its actual purpose. As the brew slowly boiled and thickened, Zecora gave it a quick taste – the surest testament to its safety for use – and declared it to be coming along perfectly. Once the reduction of the mixture was completed, it would be left to cool and dry out into the powdered form Zecora would bottle up and distribute. Satisfied with her progress, Zecora sat back and started to chant one of her favorite foal-hood nursery rhymes, only to be interrupted by a knock at her door, followed by a young voice that was quite familiar to the zebra. "Zecora, are ya home?"

"I am here young Apple Bloom," Zecora said, walking over to the door, "To what do I owe this unexpected visit from… you?" She faltered and finished the rhyme on reflex as she opened the door and found herself looking at four very long yellow pony legs topped by a filly who was currently eye-level with the top of the doorframe. The zebra expressed her surprise in her native tongue before gathering her wits and asking, "How in the world did you get so tall? Legs like that don't belong on a body so small."

"Yer tellin' me," Apple Bloom said, "I can't count how many times I fell on my face getting' here. Almost lost AJ a couple times." She attempted to duck and hobble into the hut, only to lose her balance and topple through the doorway. The pink bow in her mane caught on the doorframe and came undone, freeing the apple-red hair to fly up and over into her face as Zecora backed up to catch her. A tiny orange pony tumbled out of the suddenly loose mane and landed with a squeaky grunt on the zebra's head.

"Applejack I presume?" Zecora asked, rolling her eyes up as she helped Bloom steady herself, "Now I think I know what happened to you and Apple Bloom. Did you forget the warning I gave you, to avoid the flowers of azure hue?"

"Nah, we didn't forget," Applejack said, hopping down onto Zecora's back, and then onto a table when the zebra took her over to it, "We found a patch of the poison joak growin' in our south field and didn't recognize what it was until it was too late. We'd done pulled up 'bout half the weeds afore Apple Bloom realized what we were standing in."

"The Spa's all out of the special bath," Apple Bloom added.

"Well, luck is with you my friends," Zecora said, nodding at the cauldron, "My work on a new batch is nearly at its end. Allow me a few minutes and you'll soon be on the mend." She went to a back room and returned a minute later dragging another large cauldron. She parked it near the fire and then grabbed a ladle and transferred three scoops of the brew into it. "For the two of you, that much should do," she said after she set the ladle aside, "I'll fill it with water to the brim, and then let it warm and you can jump on in." No sooner had she finished speaking than a flash of light and a loud crack went off outside the hut. Apple Bloom jumped in surprise and came down in a jumble of stilt-like legs as an ash-grey unicorn stallion with a fire-like red and orange mane appeared in the open doorway, his mouth hanging open slightly as he took in the scene.

"This… is interesting," he said after a moment, and then locked his gaze on Zecora and asked, "Can I assume you've mixed up some poison joak cure? And does it work before the symptoms show up?"

"Yes," the zebra said simply.

"Perfect," Ashen Blaze said, "since I'm obviously not the most urgent patient here, I'll just wait my turn somewhere out of the way." He stayed close to the wall as he moved away from the door while Zecora poured two more ladles worth of the cure into the bath cauldron and then went into the back room again. Ash reached the table and did a double-take as he discovered the micro-Applejack standing by the mortar and pestle. "_Bah re_ Applejack," he said in amazement, "you give a new meaning to the phrase shrinky-dink."

"Go ahead and get the 'little' jokes out of yer system Ash," the miniature farm pony said, and Ash bit back a laugh at her high pitched voice.

"Nah, I'm… I'm good," he said, "Soul Mage might've had a couple if he were here though."

"Say," Apple Bloom said, "how'd you bump inta poison joak anyway Mr. Blaze?"

"I was actually out gathering some," Ash answered, "Never intended to actually _touch_ the _skvetchte_ plants," he levitated the pestle to demonstrate his method, "but accidents happen…"

"Why in Celestia's name would you be doing something like that?" Applejack squeaked, looking askance at Ash.

"Not in Celestia's name actually," Ash said, grinning broadly, "In Gale's."

Zecora emerged from the back room carrying a bucket of water in her mouth, which she proceeded to empty into the cauldron. "For what purpose does she require poison joak, if I may inquire?"

"The reason she gave me," Ash said, "is that she's been itching to rebuild her famous gel launcher from our mercenary days, pre-Tau'rin, modified for an equine build of course. She's had the magebane gel for some time now – it cancels out most types of magic temporarily, Apple Bloom – and she wants to experiment with new gel types like an accelerated-action poison joak gel. However," he paused for effect and gave a wistful sigh, "I suspect the true reason is that she, Soul, Heart, and the Princesses are conspiring to keep me busy and out of the castle as much as possible. It's nice to have people worried about me."

"Can't say I understand most of that there explanation," AJ said, "but if ya need poison joak, I've got a patch growin' on mah farm fer some reason that I'd be more than happy to see go away."

Ash narrowed one eye at the diminutive pony. "Curious," he said, "I figured that since the stuff is native to the Everfree Forest that it's adapted to low-light environments. I wouldn't expect to see it someplace like well-maintained and very sun-exposed farm."

"You are quite right Ashen Blaze," Zecora said, "Poison joak withers under the sun's full gaze."

"That warrants investigating then," Ash said solemnly, "I'll give the spot a look-over while I'm gathering the blooms. Have Twilight look at it for a second opinion, quarantine the area, and…" he trailed off and waved a hoof idly. "Anyway, let's get this anti-joak bath ready, shall we? I think I feel my skull starting to swell…"

* * *

><p>The candles were lit, the curtains were closed, the front door was locked, the owl had been moved upstairs, and the dragon was taking his afternoon nap. With all predictable and avoidable distractions removed (after all, there was no accounting for Pinkie Pie), Twilight Sparkle walked to the center of the room and swept her gaze around, taking in every wall before activating her horn and making her magic spread in every direction. As one, every book in the library jumped off the shelves and formed a spiraling line from the ceiling down to eye-level. With an ease born from monthly repetition of the ritual and basing her actions upon the new organization scheme she'd created and memorized the day before, the lavender librarian began Re-shelving Day by sending the <em>Astronomical Astronomer's Guide to All Things Astronomy, 3<em>_rd__ edition_ to its new home at the beginning of the astronomy sub-section of the science shelves. Soon many other books were soaring through the air, each sent on its way by Twilight after only a brief glimpse at the title. After a minute or so she had established a rhythm and started to tap a hoof in time with the motion of the books moving in for her inspection, and the inkling of a song started to form in the back of her mind.

The sound of somepony trying to open the front door cut through Twilight's concentration, causing her to pause for a moment in confusion. _Did I forget to put out the "Closed" sign?_ she wondered, _Ah well, they'll get the message anyway._ She focused back on the book before her – _Super Naturals_ by chance – only to be distracted by the rattling latch again, followed by a firm knocking. "Go away," she muttered in a cross sing-song, "nopony's hooome." The entreating stopped and Twilight nodded in satisfaction, flinging _Super Naturals_ somewhat faster than was necessary toward its spot on the shelves.

"Twilight Sparkle." The lavender unicorn bit back a growl of frustration as she recognized something in the voice coming from outside. She put the remaining books on stand-by as she cocked an ear toward the door and waited. "Twilight," the voice came again, sweet and clear and quite familiar, "open up please." Twilight gasped and looked around with some panic at the books still floating in the air.

"C-coming," she called after a tense minute, sending the unshelved books into several hasty and mostly stable stacks as she galloped to the door. She took a second to try and compose herself and present a calm face before unlocking the door and starting to speak automatically. "I'm so sorry! If I'd known it was…" She paused as her brain registered what her eyes were seeing and then spoke again in a flat, unamused tone, "you're not Princess Celestia." On the doorstep stood the Great and Powerful Trixie, complete with hat and cape, looking smugly satisfied as she held Cabbage Patch close to her side with one leg. The sea-green pony was staring at the ground, muttering apologetically, and clearly wanted to be anywhere else but couldn't muster the will to run. "I didn't know you did impressions Trixie," Twilight said flatly.

"I don't," Trixie said, hugging Cabbage closer, "That was Cabbage here. Impressive, isn't she?"

"You had me fooled, so yes," Twilight said, rolling her eyes, "What do you want Trixie? I'm busy."

"It's about my show," Trixie began.

"Ah," Twilight interrupted impatiently, "sorry, I haven't found the time to come see it yet. I'll go this evening _if_ I can finish re-shelving all my books."

"Thank you for that," the showmare said dryly, "but that's not… quite what I was going to mention. I need you to pull some more strings, because despite how well-received Trixie's Traveling Thespians were at the Summer Sun Celebration, we can't seem to attract a proper audience for our real shows."

Twilight regarded Trixie and Cabbage, who was stealing furtive glances up at the librarian pony, for a few moments before sighing sadly. "Look, Trixie," she said, "It's great how you're willing to ask for help, but I don't know the first thing about show business. The best I could do is try to find a book on the subject, and my library's not even halfway organized at the moment. Besides, the best way to get Ponyville, or any place I think, to like you I to let them all get to know you. I really shouldn't be the only pony you come to with problems."

Trixie rolled her eyes to the sky, let Cabbage go to put a hoof over her heart, and gave a dramatic sigh of longsuffering. "Oh the irony," she said, "The Great and Powerful Trixie has overcome so much, only to be defeated time and again by the apathy of one. Little. Village. I think I preferred it when I was hated here."

Twilight wasn't sure whether to be concerned for Trixie and her company's well-being or annoyed at the unsubtle jab at her home, so she settled on being unimpressed by the theatrics. It wasn't too difficult to keep her posture impassive and her eyes hooded, having gained experience from Rarity's occasional overreactions. Twilight's eyebrow quirked upward slightly as she thought about that and an idea came to her. "Rarity's pretty knowledgeable about getting ponies to attend fashion shows," she said, "Why don't you go see if she has some advice?"

Trixie's hoof moved from her chest to her chin as she thought. "She works in that building that slightly resembles a carousel, correct?" she asked. Twilight nodded and Trixie turned away with a flourish. "Trixie thanks you for your help Twilight," she said, "and hopes you don't mind if Trixie has to use your name to get the time of day from Rarity."

"I doubt you'll have to, but good luck," Twilight said as Trixie walked away, Cabbage Patch trotting close behind her. Twilight started to close the door and turn her attention back to her work, but then poked her head outside and called out, "Wait a second. Cabbage Patch?" The small sea-green earth pony flinched as she and Trixie stopped and turned their heads to look back at Twilight. "That was an excellent impression of the Princess," the lavender pony said, "Do you do others?" Cabbage nodded slowly. "I'd like to hear them sometime," Twilight continued with an encouraging smile. A blush came to Cabbage's cheeks and she murmured something that sounded like a stammering "thank-you" before she turned her head away. Trixie gave Twilight smile before turning and leading the way down the road. Twilight pulled her head back into the library, closed and locked the door, and turned back to her books. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

><p>"You see little filly?" Trixie asked rhetorically as she and Cabbage walked, "You have a real gift that needs to be shared." She levitated her hat off her head and held it above Cabbage's, making it wobble teasingly as she continued, "Twilight Sparkle is very close to Princess Celestia, so if you fooled her, you can easily impress the common pony up on stage. We'll make a showmare of you yet."<p>

"We shouldn't have tricked her," Cabbage muttered, her voice quiet and dull but with a hint of an attitude.

"Well, she wasn't answering my more polite knocks," Trixie replied, putting her hat back on.

"She wasn't happy about it," Cabbage droned insistently, "We were interrupting something, and she only said what she needed to get us to leave."

"Nonsense," Trixie said confidently, "she might have been a little irritated at first, but she was truly trying to help. Now come on, time waits for no pony."

"Do I really have to?" Cabbage asked with a slight whine, "I just want to go home. Why couldn't Barnacle come with us? I feel safer around him."

"Cabbage Patch," Trixie began, and then paused for a moment to consider the approach she should take. "Captain Salt is a good pony," she said at last in an approximation of a motherly tone, "but I think that sometimes he shelters you too much. Somewhere under this shy, stage-frightened shell of yours is a fine actress that needs to come out. You can't spend your whole life as a seapony in a tank." Cabbage didn't reply, simply letting her head droop a little and adamantly ignoring her surroundings as she let Trixie lead her through the town. Trixie walked with an air of complete confidence, meeting the gaze of any pony who glanced her way and pointedly not reacting to any unfriendly looks she received. The pair found the Carousel Boutique without incident and were pleased to see that it was open for business.

The bell on the door jingled merrily as Trixie entered the fashion store with Cabbage almost attached to her side. There was brief murmur of conversation from an upstairs room, and then a white unicorn with a long purple mane and tail styled into an elegant curl and wearing a pair of thick-rimmed red glasses on her forehead appeared at the top of the stairs. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique," she said, "what a surprise to see you here Trixie. Are you considering putting some variety into your costuming as well?"

"No," Trixie said, turning her nose up at the idea, "Trixie is quite satisfied with her _iconic_… wait, what do you mean by 'as well'?"

"Your friend Harlequin just so happens to be here right now and – _Wahaha!_" She jumped to the side as Trixie bolted up the stairs, past her into the hallway, and found the mustard-yellow tumbling clown pony in Rarity's workroom contemplating himself and the half-completed tweed jacket draped across his back in a full-length mirror. He noticed Trixie glaring at him in the reflection and put on a charming smile as he turned to face her.

"Quin," Trixie said in a low warning tone.

"Trixie," he replied with an unconcerned nod.

"Ex_cuse_ me," Rarity said huffily from behind Trixie, "I don't know how you do things on the road missy, but you could at least show some proper manners when you're in somepony's home."

"How much was that going to cost you?" Trixie asked Harlequin, ignoring the upset fashionista.

"We haven't discussed the price yet," Harlequin answered.

"Harlequin," Trixie said, trying to keep her voice as she advanced on him, "We do not the bits to splurge on luxuries right now. We're barely bringing in enough money right now to keep food in the larder. And you were _supposed to be talking up the show!_"

"I was," Harlequin said defensively, "From the scuttlebutt I picked up, I figured Ms. Rarity here was a pretty influential pony. So, I figured I'd pay her a visit, see if I couldn't put my charm to good use." His grin shifted from confident to sheepish as Trixie's eye started to twitch.

"How you ever survived on your own is beyond me," the showmare said, shaking her head. She turned around to face Rarity, who was still looking irritated at her. "I must apologize," she said, earning a slightly sharper look from the white unicorn, "Quin does have a… problem resisting the urge to buy things, especially if it's something that looks nice."

"I see," Rarity said, mollified, "Well, if money is an issue…"

"Oh, it is," Trixie said emphatically, "and that's why we," she cast a glance back at Harlequin, who was looking forlornly at the jacket he'd been denied, "have come to you. I, at the least, was hoping to get some advice on how to gain greater attendance at our shows in this town."

"Hmm," Rarity said, lowering her glasses over her eyes and stretching her head forward to give Trixie a critical look-over. "Well, that won't be a simple matter by any means," she said at last, giving a despairing wave of her hoof as she turned toward the door, "after all you have such a certain… reputation that needs to be taken into account, and even in such a laid-back and simple town such as Ponyville a reputation can be a powerful thing. I wonder if even my simply fabulous talents of persuasion and charm would be up to the task? And would it be worth my time?"

"Please do not tease Trixie," the azure unicorn said, following Rarity as she headed toward the stairs, "This is a livelihood we're speaking of here, not just for the Great and Powerful Trixie, but for three other ponies who have thrown in their lot with Trixie. Besides, you bear an Element of Harmony, do you not? Generosity I believe?"

Rarity paused at the top of the stairs and looked back at Trixie. "Yes I am," she said proudly, "but that does not mean I can't expect some return on the time and resources I invest in something. I do have a business to run after all."

Finding herself at a temporary loss for words – a distressing turn of events in itself – Trixie simply kept after Rarity as she started downstairs. They came to a stop halfway down when they both spotted Cabbage Patch standing on one of the modeling platforms, striking poses while tying and wrapping a small collection of ribbons onto various parts of her body. Rarity's gaze went from the earth pony to the now somewhat disarrayed box of decorative ribbons that she had put out for sale and then over her shoulder and up at Trixie. "She likes ribbon and cloth," Trixie explained with a shrug, "They're like a security blanket for her or something." The showmare's voice caught Cabbage's attention, and she froze in her place and looked up guiltily at Rarity.

"No worries darling," the white unicorn said reassuringly, finishing her descent of the stairs, "I like to see ponies enjoying themselves with my wares. Just, do be careful and put them back when you're done. Unless, that is, you intend to purchase some?"

"Um…" Cabbage said, sitting down. She untied the ribbons she was wearing and started to fold them up nicely, but with a longing in her eyes that Trixie could see from her spot on the stairs. "I…" the small pony whispered as she smoothed out a wide pastel green ribbon, "I like… this one a lot. But…" She looked up at Trixie, her face a perfect picture of the conflict playing out in her mind. The sound of hooves at the top of the stairs gave Trixie an excuse to look away, but it only gave her a view of Harlequin, who was trying to hide some disappointment of his own.

"Oh, things were so much easier when it was just Trixie," the showmare muttered to herself. She trotted down the stairs and over to Rarity. "Perhaps we can make a deal," she said, "If you help Trixie's Traveling Thespians make some real money in this town, and I mean selling out within the next week or two, we'll buy some ribbons and let Quin get that suit." Her companions perked up and Cabbage ran over and almost hugged her. "Of course, that means everypony puts in their best, right?" Trixie said, looking at Harlequin and Cabbage, "No show, no matter how well advertised, is a success if the audience isn't inspired to come back."

"All right Trixie," Rarity said, smiling, "this will be quite a challenge, but I'll lend you a hoof. Go fetch your pegasus friend and meet me back here in half an hour. We have plans to make."


	10. Chapter 2: The Calm Before

In Sugar Cube Corner, Pinkie Pie was preparing to say farewell to her sisters. After the Summer Sun Celebration, Susan and Maggie had spent a few additional days in Ponyville with Pinkie. The time had been well-spent, and the rock farm girls had fit in easily with Ponyville society, but even Pinkie had to admit that vacations have to end sooner rather than later. In a surprising show of restraint, she had chosen to keep the farewell party small and intimate, involving only her families: the Pies and the Cakes. The food choices were obvious.

"Safe travels," Mrs. Cake said as she gave Susan a quick hug.

"Thank you ma'am," the purplish-grey mare said. She then went over to where Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake were sitting in their high chairs with their attention split between their bottles and watching the older ponies. The twins had taken a great liking to Susan, and she in turn had enjoyed helping Pinkie entertain them. They were simply adorable, except for one little thing…

Pound pulled the bottle from his mouth as Susan approached, and then let it drop and held his little legs out to the purplish pony, babbling, "Shoo Fie! Shoo Fie!"

"That's 'Susan,' you little scamp," Susan said good-naturedly as she beeped his nose, "Don't you let Pinkamena stop you from growing out of that, alright? You too Pumpkin," she added, patting the unicorn foal on the head. Pumpkin cracked a smile but continued to resolutely suck at her bottle. Susan turned away from the foals and walked over to where her and Maggie's saddlebags were waiting by the front door. "We should be getting on our way now," she said as she settled her bags over her flanks, "are you ready Maggie?"

The light-grey Pie sister had been unusually reserved during the mini-party, having partaken of some of the food but otherwise standing back from the group, lost in her own thoughts. At Susan's call, she looked up from her contemplation of the floor, biting her lip lightly. All eyes turned to her and she heaved a sigh and looked Susan in the eye. "No, I'm not ready," she said, "I don't think I'll _be_ ready for a long while. I think it's high time I put my special talent to good use."

"What are you talking about?" Susan asked, giving her sister an odd look, "Your business skills have done plenty of good for the farm."

"I know, but…" Maggie hesitated, unsure of herself.

"Come on Maggie," Pinkie encouraged, "You can tell us. Oo! Or we could try to guess. Selling rocks isn't challenging enough for you anymore?" Her bright smile faded slightly as Susan gave her a hurtful sideways glance.

"No," Maggie said automatically, drawing back slightly, but then her ears drooped and she amended, "Well, sort of I suppose." Susan shifted her focus from Pinkie to Maggie, shock mixing with chagrin. "Sue, between you, Mother, and Father the farm has all the skill and common sense it needs to survive. My talent isn't in rocks, it's in helping others succeed in whatever their business is. I won't try to deny that our farm can use my skills, but lately I've been wondering if there aren't other ponies that need my help more." She looked over at the Cakes with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "I would very much like to stay in Ponyville for a while longer and look for an opportunity," she said, "maybe for a couple weeks-" she cut off suddenly as Pinkie dashed over and grabbed her up in a breath-stealing hug.

"Aw, you can stay as long as you want Maggie," the pink pony said, "I'll look after you, don't worry."

"I… appreciate it… Pinkamena," Maggie grunted as she struggled to free herself from her overly enthusiastic sibling. She broke Pinkie's grip and slid free, and then took a second to compose herself and smooth down her mane before addressing Susan. "I know this is sudden," she said, "but it would save us the cost of another round-trip ticket if I just stay here and you give Mother and Father the news. Would you, please?"

"This is all too sudden," Susan said, stepping closer to her sister. She closed one eye and opened the other wide, staring deep into Maggie's. After a moment, Susan nodded slowly and opened her eye. "Your aura's changed a little Maggie," she said, smiling coyly, "grown stronger. Fine, I'll support you, on one condition: if you start sensing or noticing things nopony else can, let me know all about it."

"Ok, sure," Maggie said, a touch confused.

"Yay, more sister time!" Pinkie exclaimed happily, hugging Maggie again. She looked over at Susan, and started to say something, but the purplish pony cut her off with a shake of her head.

"I need to go," Susan said, "I don't want to miss my train. Good bye sisters, and good luck." She gave Pinkie a quick nuzzle and then trotted out of the bakery before she could be captured in another hug.

* * *

><p>"<em>Sohndar, an Aitran novel<em>," Twilight said, reading aloud the title of the final book waiting to be shelved, "Magical Fiction, right next to the original book." She started to send the book toward its spot, but then paused and started to bring it back. "On the other hoof," she said, "I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. The first book was a fun read; I hope the author was up to the task of keeping his momentum through the sequel…" She set the book on a reading stand and started to walk over to it when he stomach gurgled. She stopped, looked up at the clock, and then wracked her memory for the last time she'd eaten. She came up with breakfast that morning and nothing afterward. "Spike!" she called, intending to employ her assistant's assistance in preparing a late lunch, but received only silence in return. "SPIIIKE! Time for him to be getting up anyway…" She walked upstairs, flung the bedroom door open, and fixed a disapproving glare at the baby purple dragon, who was giving her a bleary-eyed glare in return from within his basket-bed. "Up and at 'em Spike," Twilight said, flinging his blanket aside and picking him up in her magic, "Time for lunch."

"I already ate," Spike said grumpily as Twilight set him down on his feet, "You were too caught up in your re-shelving plans to notice."

"Well I'm still hungry and I'd appreciate it if my number one assistant could lend me a claw," Twilight replied.

"All right, can do," Spike said, lightening up as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Nodding with satisfaction, Twilight led the way downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Let's see," the lavender unicorn said, opening the pantry cupboard, "What am I in the mood for…" she trailed off with a frown and then looked over her shoulder at Spike, asking, "What all did you have for lunch?"

"Celery, peanut butter, and a garnet," the dragon reported, "Oh, and I finished off the last of the old milk."

"Well it looks like something finished off just about everything else," Twilight said, closing the cupboard and going to the fridge. She looked inside and pulled out an old, limp carrot. "When did we go shopping last?" she asked.

"Sometime before we got busy with the Summer Sun Celebration I guess," Spike said with a shrug.

Twilight huffed in annoyance, not sure where to pin the blame and too hungry to bother. "Get some parchment Spike," she instructed, "We need to make a shopping list."

Twenty minutes later Twilight was trotting into the marketplace with set of empty saddlebags, a pouch full of bits, and Spike on her back managing the list. "I think you should get something to snack on before we tackle the rest of the errands," Spike suggested, "Maybe the Cakes or Pinkie will have a new treat to try out."

"I'm not in the mood for something with that much sugar," Twilight said, "Besides, I thought you said you'd already eaten?"

"To quote Pinkie Pie," Spike said, putting on a dignified air, "there's always room for another cupcake." Twilight rolled her eyes and chuckled. "We should make a book," Spike said, thinking, "and fill it with quotes, insights, and the lyrics to those songs Pinkie comes up with. Call it 'The Pinkie Pie Guide to Life.' We'd make millions."

"Interesting," Twilight said, "but we don't need millions. We have enough money to live on, and that should be all we want, right?"

"Eh, yeah, heh heh," Spike said nervously, averting his gaze in embarrassment.

Twilight cast a glance at her coin purse and then looked around the marketplace with a slight frown, noticing the reduced number of open stands and booths. Although Ponyville itself had survived the parasprite attack, many of the farms and gardens had suffered significant crop loss. Some food was being brought in from other towns, and projections showed that Ponyville would be able to support itself again before summer ended, but for the moment prices had risen and choices were limited. There was one stand, really more of a glorified cart, that ooked to be unaffected, although the small, old green mare running it was not a pony Twilight was used to seeing in that role.

"Good afternoon Twilight," Granny Smith said in her slow, creaky voice as the lavender unicorn approached, "Lookin' to buy I hope? I've got plenny of preserves, jams, and dried apples."

"Anything fresh?" Spike asked, looking over Twilight's head at the cart.

"I think ah got some Fujis here… somewhere," Granny said, ducking her head behind the cart. She hefted a mostly empty basket up onto the cart and stopped to catch her breath. "The young'uns all got a case of that poison joak," she said, "Bad luck an' worse timin' I say, what with the Family Reunion endin' yesterday. So I gotta do the sellin' 'til Applejack and Bloom get the cure."

"Poison joak?" Twilight said in surprise, "Even Big Macintosh? How'd that happen?"

"Durn blue weed showed up in the east field," Granny said.

"That's strange," Twilight said, "I didn't know poison joak could grow outside the Everfree Forest."

"Normally it cannot, Twilight," a voice said from behind the unicorn. Twilight and Spike both jumped and whipped their heads around to see Zecora walking by behind them, "It does not like much sunlight."

"Hey, zebra," Granny smith said, pointing an accusatory hoof at Zecora, "My granddaughters went out lookin' fer you a while ago."

"At finding me they did succeed," the striped equine replied with a calm smile, "I fixed them up with all possible speed."

"Oh," Granny said, putting her hoof down, "Well if ya see any of them, tell ta git themselves over here. I'm missing my nap." Zecora nodded and began to walk away. Twilight threw a few apples into her saddlebag, floated the appropriate number of bits onto the cart, and then trotted to catch up with the zebra.

"Strange days are coming my friend," Zecora said after she noticed the unicorn pulling up next to her, "but I cannot guess what these signs portend."

"What signs?" Spike asked, giving Zecora an odd look.

"Parasprites attack in mass on Summer's eve, and now poison joak flourishes where it would normally grieve." Zecora raised her head a little, seeming fixated on a random cloud and then looked over at Twilight and said, "There is but one common thread I can see, although it is as tenuous as can be. Because of Ashen Blaze the parasprites were revealed, and now he goes to remove the poison joak from the Apple's field."

"You think Ash might have something to do with it?" Spike asked.

"It may just be coincidence," Twilight said, "but what does he want with poison joak?" Zecora simply shrugged.

"I think we should go chase him don and ask him," Spike said, a dark, suspicious look coming into his eyes.

"If you want to run all the way to Sweet Apple Acres, be my guest," Twilight responded, "Ash can be a little weird at times, but he's never done anything intentionally harmful. He's kind of like Pinkie Pie in that way, but less bubbly."

"A _lot_ less," Spike muttered.

* * *

><p>Three of the four ponies that made up the entirety of The Great and Powerful Trixie's Traveling Thespians were gathered around the kitchen table of the Carousel Boutique, patiently waiting for Rarity to emerge from her inspiration room. The group's namesake was noticeably less patient as she paced the kitchen floor, her mood growing gradually more sour as the minutes passed. They had done as Rarity had requested and brought Barnacle Salt in with the expectation that they'd jump right into discussing advertisement plans, but the fashionista had simply taken one look at the quartet and then locked herself in her inspiration room saying that she'd be out in ten minutes. "It's been an hour and a half," Trixie grumbled.<p>

"Sit down and relax already," Barnacle said, "You can't rush genius, as they say."

"We're wasting time," Trixie snapped, whirling on the seafarer, "We still have a show to put on tonight. At the least we could be rehearsing."

"Oh yeah, great idea," Harlequin said sarcastically, "I'm sure Ms. Rarity won't mind if one of your flash-bang diversions accidently sets fire to her curtains. I suppose I could use you as a substitute vaulting horse, but you'd have to hold still for th_aackk_!" He was pulled up from his seat by a telekinetic grip on his ear and unceremoniously dragged behind the azure showmare as she headed for the back door.

"Let's have a round of applause for our brave volunteer," Trixie said with dramatic venom, "For her next trick, the Great and Powerful Trixie will saw him in half!"

"Hold on a second!" Harlequin protested, "You don't even have the right kind of box for-" The shutting of the back door behind him and Trixie cut off the rest of his plea.

"Oh no," Cabbage Patch said, aghast, "Trixie's real mad now…"

"I wouldn't worry too much if I were you my little sea nymph," Barnacle said reassuringly, "They're just a little testy 'cuz things aren't going so well for us right now."

"It's not just now," Cabbage said quietly, "You didn't see, earlier. When Trixie and I got here earlier, we found Quin trying to buy some new clothes. Trixie seemed furious."

"Ar, that would have been a problem," Barnacle replied.

"She said some bad things about you as well," the timid earth pony said, drawing in on herself and looking at the floor. She glanced up briefly to see Barnacle's curious look and continued, "She… she said you protect me too much, like it was a bad thing. How can you protect a pony too much?"

"There are ways," the seafarer answered, growing contemplative, "Sounds to me like Trixie and I need to have a heart-to-heart if she thinks I'm not doin' something right. Letting her and Harlequin squabble a bit's healthy considering their temperaments, but I won't stand for anything else that'll make our crew less than shipshape." He got up and started to head toward the back door, only to pause at the sound of another door in the building being flung open. Rarity appeared in the kitchen doorway, her red work glasses perched on her muzzle as she flourished a bundle of rolled-up papers in her telekinesis.

"I am ready," she declared, and then looked over her glasses inquiringly when she realized her guests had been reduced in number. "Where are Trixie and Harlequin?" she asked.

"Stepped out for some fresh air," Barnacle replied, "I was just about to go check on them."

"Oh, very well then," Rarity said, entering the kitchen and setting her load down on the table.

"I'll be right back Cabbage," the caramel-cream pegasus said, giving the smaller pony a pat on the head before heading to the backdoor. He pushed the door open and saw Trixie and Harlequin staring each other down across a distance of about four feet.

"…to be perfectly honest I'd _much_ rather eat a pinecone," the mustard-yellow earth pony was saying.

"That can be arranged you know," Trixie replied, "I'll have to see if the local flavor's any good first of course."

"Ahem," Barnacle said, grabbing their attention, "If you two could belay this for a moment, Miss Rarity is ready."

"Well, it's about time," Trixie drawled. She entered the boutique with the two stallions in her wake and fixed Rarity with a silent but expectant look when she arrived in the kitchen.

"_Et voila_," the fashionista, said, unfurling several of her scrolls and leaving them hanging in the air around her. Each paper was covered in sketches of simple pony silhouettes wearing a variety of detailed outfits. "Now, before you say anything," Rarity said quickly, seeing the apprehension in Trixie's countenance, "allow me to explain. Because I am a very respectable and respected pony, if I am going to show support for one of your reputation I have to at least appear to get some benefit from it."

"So," Trixie said, grabbing a sketch and bringing it closer to look at, "we are to provide you with free advertisement. I fail to see how this benefits the Great and Powerful Trixie." She frowned at the image on the paper: a unicorn in a high-riding, flared dress decorated with a star motif, and a matching pointed hat that looked absurdly out of proportion to the head. "And _this_ is hardly befitting Trixie's character," she said, flinging the paper away. Rarity glowered at the insult to her skills.

Barnacle stepped closer to the floating sketches and looked them over, eyebrow rising as he saw plans to dress him up in a tricorne hat, a frock coat, and what seemed to be dreadlocks in the mane. Another sketch was of sea-ponies in a variety of simple skirts reminiscent of water plants. "I like the look of these," he said, "but I won't be wearin' my mane like that. Makes me think of pirates. I'm no pirate."

"These are only preliminary ideas," Rarity said, mollified slightly, and then looked Trixie square in the eye as she continued, "and it won't be _free_ advertisement. I'll provide fair compensation for every design you agree to wear on stage, I'll have flyers made up to announce my sponsorship, and of course I'll spread my honest opinion about your actual performances around town."

"Getting paid to wear new costumes?" Harlequin said, grinning, "I'm in."

"I…" Cabbage started to say, but then trailed off and simply nodded.

"Trixie's hat and cape are as integral to Trixie as the cutie mark," the azure showmare said stiffly. Her fellows all turned their gazes upon her and she caved in with a sigh. "I will not," she insisted, "but if this will work, you three can knock yourselves out." She turned and walked out of the kitchen, heading for the front door. "I'll be at home preparing my act. The show starts in three hours."


	11. Chapter 3: Storm Break

In a third-floor, two-room apartment on the south side of Canterlot, in the space that doubled as bedroom and workshop, Gale took advantage of her solitude and the inability to properly enunciate while gripping a socket wrench in her mouth to vent some verbal frustration at the metal tube sitting on her workbench, which had just failed her in a manner uncharacteristic of steel. She glared and mumbled at the long crack running along the tube's length that had originated from the socket she had tried to fit a bolt into. She spat the wrench onto the workbench and prepared to give the ruined tube a more intelligible piece of her mind, only to yelp in surprise at a sudden flash of orange light from behind. She whirled around and saw Ashen Blaze standing next to her bed, already levitating the saddlebags from his back as he nodded a greeting to the brown earth pony.

"I don't remember giving you permission to set a waypoint inside my apartment Ash," she said in annoyance.

"It's already dispelled Gale," the fire-maned unicorn responded blithely, "You sent me out to gather an insidiously trouble-making plant; I'm not about to risk 'joaking' someone accidently by walking around with the stuff. I've already had to take one remedy bath today. Speaking of which…" He set the saddlebags down a safe distance from himself and Gale and then levitated a pair of small jars out of a side pocket, sending them onto a nearby shelf. "Zecora gave me some extra herbs in case there's an accident. How's the launcher coming?"

"I've got the air compressor working," Gale answered half-heartedly, "although I'm still not sure how long the power source will last when brought into proximity with Magebane gels."

"No one says you have to use that stuff you know," Ash said with feigned casualness, suddenly finding a reason to inspect his hoof. Gale shot him a glare and turned back to the workbench. "So you still can't find a battery that doesn't utilize magic?" Ash asked.

"I might have," Gale answered as she rolled the cracked tube off the bench and set it up on its end, "I just can't tell the difference, and none of my suppliers seem to care if there is one. Magic, technology, it's all the same to these candy-colored ponies. As, apparently, are steel and fiberglass…"

"Ah, the Magi-technician's dream," Ash said lightly. His smile faded when he saw Gale's ears flatten back and her head droop sadly.

"Yeah," she said, putting her front hooves up on the workbench and pulling herself into an upright posture even as her head hung lower, "Master would've loved this world…" An awkward silence fell between the two ponies as Ash tried to find the right words to comfort his oft-suspicious but dependable friend.

An insistent knock at the apartment door broke the silence and Ash gladly welcomed the out it gave him. "I'll get it," he said, running out into the main room as Gale lowered herself back onto all fours and followed him at a walk. Ash's magic undid the locks as he approached the door and he opened it a crack to look out. "Heart, Soul," he said with a smile as he opened the door fully, "How are you?" He then took notice that the unicorn and pegasus twins were both wearing their golden Royal Guard uniforms.

"Not so good," Soul Mage said, "We're needed in Discord's cell, ASAP."

"Why the rush?" Ash asked, confused, "I took longer than I expected with Gale's errand, but I'm pretty sure I'm not late for my shift."

"You're not," Soul replied, "but the Princess wants all of us there now. Discord's vanished."

"That…" Ash said, stunned, "That would _definitely_ be a problem. Gather in team, I'll get us to the castle." The Order-naries gathered around in the hallway Ash traced out a pattern on the floor with a hoof as his horn and gemstone necklace began to glow. "_Destulf juri iska_," he said in a tone of command as he stomped with his tracing hoof, "Transport!" With a crack of displaced air and a flash of orange light the quartet disappeared from the apartment building.

* * *

><p>As they ran from Ash's in-castle workroom, where the transport spell had deposited them, to the modified storage room that had once held the petrified dragonequus, Soul Mage and Gold Heart brought their friends up to speed on the situation. The unicorn guard who had been on duty, First Lieutenant Steel Hoof, had heard something walking down the hall past the room with an odd gait and had poked his head out to try and catch a glimpse. He hadn't seen anything, but as he'd started to turn back to the statue, he'd blacked out for at least an hour. When he came to, Discord was gone. Naturally, his first reaction had been to sound the alarm. Once apprised of the situation, Celestia had withdrawn to the Day Tower to feel around for signs of rising Chaos magic while Luna took charge of investigating the room and sending the twins to fetch Ash.<p>

"And so I'm just an incidental tag-along," Gale concluded dryly.

"You're PC's official owner now," Soul pointed out, "He could be of some use, if you brought him."

"PC's not allowed in the castle," Gale replied, "The Princess is still worried about the whole 'his A.I. is based off a Z'Nai' thing."

"A basic, dormant, unevolved, and _technology-based_ Z'Nai," Ash muttered to himself.

"It's a reasonable concern," Soul Mage said matter-of-factly, keeping his eyes focused on their destination.

"There hasn't been a single report of magic-based Z'Nai since we contained that breakout," the ash-grey unicorn said in irritation.

"Better safe than sorry," Gold Heart said. Ash scoffed and rolled his eyes.

Soul nodded sagely at his sister's words, smirking, but then concern clouded his features. "Call me paranoid," he began.

"You're paranoid," Heart and Ash cut in simultaneously, the formerly teasingly and the latter sardonic. Soul paused and face-hoofed, to the amusement of the girls.

"You took the Z'Nai to the moon because it seemed like the only option at the time," he said to Ash as he caught back up with the others.

"Truth," Ash said with a nod, "It was, and is, far enough away that the Z'Nai would starve before they could get back, and has a magic field that is too weak to sustain them."

"And Princess Luna moves it with magic every night," Soul added, "Is there the possibility that she's keeping some of them alive up there, and that they might catch a ride on the flow between moon and alicorn to get back here?"

"You are indeed simply being paranoid Soul Mage." The golden-yellow unicorn looked up in surprise to see that his group had arrived at the crime scene and that Princess Luna was standing by the door to the now-vacant storage room with a reassuring look on her face. "The last time I felt the stirrings of those horrid shadows was about two weeks after their banishment to the moon," the Princess of the Night said. For being the site of what was undoubtedly the biggest disaster to befall Canterlot since Discord's previous escape, the area was surprisingly void of activity. Besides Luna, only a single other pony was present, and he was inside the room, helmet on the ground next to him as he stared into space with a dejected attitude unbecoming of a Royal Guard. When Ash expressed confusion, Luna motioned for him to step into the room as she explained, "The Guard completed their initial investigation whilst Heart and Soul were bringing you. Besides questioning the stallion on duty here, there wasn't much to look at. I also prefer that your own examination be… unclouded by other opinions."

"Fair enough," Ash said with a nod. He went inside, looked around once, and then tapped the guard on the shoulder. "Lieutenant, was it?" he asked when the unicorn's head snapped around to look at him.

"First Lieutenant Steel Hoof," the guard answered.

"Any guesses as to why you blacked out?" Ash asked, squinting an eye as he walked around and scrutinized the walls, "Did you feel magic coming into play?"

"I think so," Steel Hoof said, rubbing his head, "but I was out before I had a chance to notice anything. Discord must have been covering his break-out until I was distracted."

"He's not that subtle," Ash muttered, stamping a hoof in the spot the statue had occupied, "There's no debris from the stone breaking apart, and if he was out and about I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be any doubt to the fact."

"He is a spirit of Chaos," Soul Mage pointed out, peeking into the room, "by definition unpredictable and random."

"He's flamboyant and requires an audience to display his beloved chaos to. Or on," Ash said in a conclusive tone as he came back into the hall. "No, whoever is responsible for this, it's not Discord himself."

"I am inclined to agree," Celestia's bright voice, thick with atypical sternness, rang down the hall. Everypony turned to see the tall white alicorn approaching and all but Ash and Luna dropped into a quick bow. "Canterlot and the surrounding lands are free of any strange occurrences and I haven't received any notes of alarm from Twilight. I fear that Discord's mysterious ally has managed to outwit us again and taken him away somewhere where the seal can be removed without interruption." She raised an eyebrow when she saw Ash's look of distrustful confusion and heard him mutter something under his breath. "Do you have something else to add Ashen Blaze?" she asked.

Ash visibly winced and kept his gaze off the Princess for a moment before speaking. "I request permission to bring PC here," he said in a flat, businesslike tone, "With his analytical powers and database on magic spells combined with my own… skills, we can hopefully identify not only how Discord was removed, but where to."

Celestia pondered the request for a moment, her face betraying no hints until she reached her decision. "Very well," she said, "but do not have it with you when report your findings to me."

"Thank you," Ash said, turning smartly in the direction of his workroom, "Gale, if you wouldn't mind coming with me so you can let me into your apartment?" The brown earth pony nodded and followed Ash down the hall.

* * *

><p>Of the four performers in Trixie's troupe, Harlequin and his pratfall acrobatics seemed to be the part of the show that Ponyville enjoyed the most, and so it had been decided that he should perform twice: a short act to open the show and attract last-minute attendees and then a longer and more complex performance following Barnacle Salt's storytelling, with Trixie closing out the show with magic. The two stallions traded off "Security" detail, which mostly amounted to trying to find and head off Tremolo if he tried to make an appearance. When she wasn't acting like a seapony and providing a backdrop for Barnacle's tall tales, Cabbage managed the curtains and controlled most of the stage effects that added flavor to Harlequin's act. That left Trixie to her own thoughts, which invariably came around to the subject of the show's success. While she hadn't expected a miracle, she was underwhelmed by the evening's turn-out. She counted it as a plus that all six of Rarity's friends, including that little dragon Spike, had shown up more or less willingly, and there were certainly more ponies out there than the previous two nights, and the response had been quite positive (there was a collective gasp followed quickly by laughter and applause as Quin turned a botched double backflip into a cartwheel at the last second). Still, the crowd was nowhere near as big as it had been on her previous visits, and certainly couldn't match the sold-out houses from her Manehatten peak. <em>I could blame it on my bad reputation here<em>, she thought, _but it's getting harder to pull in crowds no matter where we go._ A final thump of hooves on the stage followed by hearty hoof-pounding applause brought Trixie out of her pondering to realize that Harlequin had just finished his act.

The two nodded to each other as she trotted on stage and he made his exit. The noise died down she took center stage and favored the audience with her best confident grin. An errant breeze began to blow, teasing the edges of her cape. "Thank you Ponyville," she said, "Trixie hopes you have enjoyed the show so far, but now for the moment you've all been waiting for!"

"The final bows?" a dark-coated pegasus stallion called out from the back.

"Shut up Thunderlane," Rainbow Dash snapped, cutting off the laughter the comment had caused.

Trixie simply rolled her eyes and continued her speech, rearing up for effect. The breeze picked up and helped her cape flare out impressively. "You are about to witness illusions and feats of magic unmatched throughout all of Equestria," she announced, "performed by none other than the Great and Powerful _Trixie_!" The pyrotechnics went off on cue, mostly pinwheel flares and smoke-pots as well as a pair of fireworks, but as they did so the wind strengthened as well, blowing Trixie's hat off and sending the fireworks off course. The showmare bit back a curse as she caught her hat in her teeth and wrapped the errant rockets in a ball of magic to make sure they didn't hit something.

"Maybe you should leave weather effects to the professionals," Thunderlane called out mockingly.

"This wind is not part of Trixie's act," the showmare retorted, putting her hat back on and holding it in place with a hoof, "High winds and flying sparks don't mix, Trixie knows that much."

"Well it's not on the weather schedule," Rainbow Dash said, looking around at the other pegasi in the group. The wind grew stronger again, and the cyan pegasus braced against it before taking flight. "I better go see what's up," she said crossly before flying off. The wind increased again and again as she struggled through it, but she pressed on and upward until she could see the edge of town, and beyond it the trees of the Everfree Forest were practically swaying in the gale. "Oh, great," Dash said sarcastically, "Wild weather." With a sigh, she started to turn around to start gathering up a weather team. A sudden powerful gust roared in, carrying a thick dust cloud with it. Caught off guard, Dash was sent tumbling through the sky and gagged as some of the dust found its way into her mouth. "Ok… _ptoo_. That's it," she said after righting herself, "It is _so_ on now wind!" She flew back toward Trixie's stage, calling out for various pegasi to join her as she met them on the way. Upon arrival she saw Trixie's company closing the wagon up against the wind with the help of some of the former audience, the rest having apparently run for shelter.

Rainbow landed on the wagon roof and shouted for attention over the howl of the wind. "Ok weather team," she said, pacing along the length of the wagon, "It looks like we somehow missed the signs of a freak windstorm brewing out in the Everfree and now we're paying for it. It's going to take a powerful windbreaker formation to whip up a counter-current strong enough to cancel this out. I need your best. Can you give it to me?"

"Yeah!" the flying ponies shouted with determination.

"All right, follow me!" Rainbow cried out, taking flight and letting the wind propel her to the other side of town. The pegasi took wing and fell into a loose formation as they followed.

"Will they actually be able to do it?" Trixie yelled over the wind.

"Hopefully," Twilight responded, "They certainly won't give up trying though, not with Rainbow leading them." Another dust-filled gust washed by and rocked the stage wagon. Both unicorns quickly wrapped their magic around it and steadied it, and then Twilight nodded toward the harness and said, "Let's get you somewhere that's sheltered until the wind is beat back."

* * *

><p>Alone in the room that had once been Discord's holding cell, Ashen Blaze sat seemingly alone, ears flat against his skull and every muscle tensed in carefully contained anger as his head-mounted super-computer with an attitude finished its report. "Give that to me one more time," he said in a voice that could make monsters beg for mercy.<p>

PC wasn't the least bit fazed. "_The results of my calculations were presented at a reading level that has been sufficient for your comprehension before_," it said, its synthetic monotone managing to convey annoyance, "_I will attempt again before dumbing it down: the Magic in this room shows clear signs of being Woven, at a level of complexity beyond the naturally-occurring Weaves of recorded Unicorn magic. There is a 70% certainty that the input anchor of a Distant Retrieval Transport spell was set here and activated 4 hours ago, with a half-hour margin of error on top of the 30% uncertainty. Your signature Weave style is evident around the Dragonequus's former location._"

"_Skvetch…_" Ash muttered, rubbing at the eye that wasn't covered by PC's eyepiece display, "Roughly four hours ago I was in the Everfree Forest carefully gathering poison joak, by magic and from a safe distance, and then things went fuzzy and I found myself standing in the middle of the clearing up to my knees in the botanical blue buggers."

"_I fail to find the connection between the events_," PC reported.

"Five days ago," the grey unicorn said, taking a lecturing tone, "On the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration, I lost several hours to a dizzy spell and awoke in the middle of the Everfree near a fountain that sprayed grapes instead of water, later confirmed to be a product of Discord.

"_Common thread search still returns- Pause. … If you are suggesting Discord is responsible for your actions during these moments of lost time, I must remind you that you are __**immune to mind control**_**.**" Ash winced as the computer raised its volume several decibels, a common tactic used to emphasize that PC thought Ash was an idiot. Considering how often it had been employed over the years, they were both amazed that the mage hadn't gone deaf in one ear by now.

"True… enough," Ash grunted before regaining his composure, "For when I was _Meis_ at any rate. Recall: I am a significantly different kind of creature nowadays."

"_Physical transformation does not equate to the loss of your immunity to all known forms of psychic, magical, and bio-chemical mind control,_" PC said confidently.

"Ah, there's the rub," Ash said triumphantly, "all _known_ forms of mind control. Discord's power operates outside the known laws of Magic and Science."

"_Are you happy about this realization?_" the computer inquired.

"Of course not," Ash snapped, "Especially since I don't know what to do about it."

"_The Elements of Harmony are proven antidotes to Discord's power_," PC pointed out.

Ash nodded and said, "Quite so. I'll report to Ponyville tomorrow, so long as Discord doesn't try to make use of me again before then."

"_A sound plan if I ever heard one. What could possibly go wrong?_"

"Hush you."


	12. Chapter 4: Damage Assessment

Twilight tossed and turned in her sleep that night, plagued by a twinge in her spine that refused to go away no matter how she adjusted, and her dreams were haunted by disturbing images. She was running, ever running through a dark place that was either a cave or a forest, pursued by red eyes that would appear suddenly from the gloom, accompanied by malicious laughter and gnashing teeth. She was reliving the worst moments of the conflict with Discord, as her friends minds were warped into jerks, liars, and tormentors. She was facing Nightmare Moon again, but one by one her friends were twisted into inequine shapes and faded from sight until she stood alone. She was falling, tumbling through space as the faces of Discord, the Nightmare, Tau'rin, Celestia under the control of a Z'Nai, Zecora as an evil enchantress, Ashen Blaze with his eyes aflame with fury and others flew past and spun around her laughing mockingly. Abruptly, the laughter was replaced with them calling out her name, their voices merging into one tomboyish tone, "Twilight. Twiliiight. Twi- Ugh… _WAKE UP!_"

"Wha-ha-huh?" Twilight jerked into sudden wakefulness and saw a pair of big rose-pink pony eyes framed by white cloud matter hovering above her face. "Whagh!" she yelped in fright and fell out of her bed to a strangely painful landing on her side. "Geez Rainbow," she said as she picked herself up, "what's the big idea? Why'd you drag a cloud into my bedroom?"

"I had no choice," Rainbow said dryly, "I _am_ a cloud." The complete lack of humor in the pegasus's voice as she spoke the absurdity made Twilight double-take and rub her eyes before taking a closer look at her friend. Hovering above her bed was a pony-shaped white cloud with eyes and a pair of cyan wings that were spread but flapping too slowly to keep a pony of Dash's size aloft. Twilight opened her mouth to protest the impossibility, but then closed it and jumped onto her bed to poke Rainbow's chest with a hoof to prove her point instead. He leg went into the white mass up to her elbow and all she felt was a cool wetness condensing on her fetlock.

"This… this is impossible," she said as she pulled her hoof back and looked at it in horror.

"Yeah, I beg to differ," Rainbow said flatly, "I woke up merged with my bed, and that after a whole night of nightmares." One of her eyes raised up slightly as she looked past Twilight's face and added, "and it looks like I'm not the only pony who had a weird night."

"Huh?" Twilight said in confusion as she looked over her right shoulder, and then gasped and looked over her left to double-check. On her sides were two small, scraggly-looking wings coated in feathers that matched her coat exactly. "Oh no oh no oh no!" she said as she jumped off her bed and ran over to her mirror in a panic. She looked at her reflection and brushed her mane away from her forehead and then heaved a sigh of relief as she saw her horn right where it should be and as healthy as ever. Calming slightly, she picked up her hairbrush in her magic and made short work of her bed-mane, and then noticed that her left wing was unfurled and waving at the mirror. She tried to tuck it back, but all it did was stiffen for a second and then flop down limply.

"Any idea what's happened?" Rainbow asked, floating over.

"Not a clue," the suddenly winged unicorn said, "but I'll be surprised if you and I are the only ones to…" she trailed off as she turned away from the mirror and her eyes fell on Spike's basket-bed. The baby dragon appeared to gone through a growth spurt during the night, as he was now nearly twice the length of the basket even before taking his tail into account, and that was presently curled completely around the basket. Oddly, his arms and legs hadn't seemed to have grown with the rest of his body, and he was sporting a thick green handlebar mustache. Twilight and Rainbow shared a nonplussed glance, and then Twilight levitated her sleeping assistant and checked in and around his bed for anything that didn't belong. "This isn't greed-growth," she concluded in confusion.

"Maybe he's got what we've got," the cloud-pony suggested.

"That would be a logical hypothesis," Twilight said as she set Spike down on the floor, "but if it affects ponies _and_ dragons, I'm scared to find out what it is."

"Uhhn," Spike moaned, waking up, "Keep it down Twi. S'too early…" He blinked in bleary confusion as he discovered his arms were now too short to reach up and rub his eyes. He attempted to sit up and only managed to flop onto his back. "What's going on?" he exclaimed, looking around, "Why do you have wings Twilight? Why is Rainbow Dash wearing a cloud? And do I have a mustache?" He rolled onto his front and crawled over to look at himself in the mirror. "Hm," he said appraisingly, "Green. That doesn't look half-bad actually. Kinda wish my arms and legs had gotten the memo; I look like a snake."

"I'd say you look more like that sea serpent with the mustache we met while trying to stop Nightmare Moon," Rainbow Dash said, "You'd still need longer arms though…" Spike turned his head to shoot back a reply, but then his face screwed up in pain and his body stretched out another few inches and his snout elongated.

"Are you ok?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"I'll live, I think," the dragon replied.

Any further conversation was cut off by a hard pounding on the front door. Twilight headed for the stairs and missed the third step when her wings suddenly decided to try and lift her, sending her somersaulting down to the ground floor instead. Ignoring the laughter from Rainbow Dash, she picked herself up, shook herself out, and trotted to the door, which was still being insistently knocked upon. Twilight magiced the door open and gave an involuntary cry of fright when she saw what was on her doorstep: a creature that looked like a cross between an oversized white rabbit and a short gorilla, standing half her height with long, thick-muscled arms that ended in bunny paws and relatively shorter rear legs. On a second glance, Twilight recognized the creature's face. "Angel Bunny?"

"Whoa," Dash said as she floated up behind Twilight. The rabbit paid no mind to the cloud-pony and began gesticulating ponderously with his oversized arms, waving one in the direction of Fluttershy's home.

"Is Fluttershy in trouble?" Twilight asked. Angel nodded vigorously, looking pleased that his message had gotten through so quickly, and then grabbed the lavender unicorn by the leg and started dragging her off. "I'm coming, I'm coming," Twilight assured, pulling her hoof free. "Spike," she called over her shoulder, "hold down the fort and try not to outgrow the place."

Up in the bedroom, Spike rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yeah, yeah. Not like I can go anywhere with legs like these…"

* * *

><p>As Twilight galloped through town in Angel's wake and Rainbow flew behind her, Ponyville was beginning to awaken and discover that business as usual was not on the agenda for the day. The pegasus-turned-winged-cloud began to waver as screams of panic and confusion were raised in what seemed to be every third or fourth house as the inhabitants discovered changes, additions, subtractions, and Celestia-knows what else about themselves in the mirror. She kept herself focused on following the buffed-up bunny, concerned about Fluttershy and telling herself that she enough troubles at the moment without learning about every single transformation that had taken place during the night. <em>This is almost like poison joak<em>, she thought to herself, _except I _know_ I never touched any yesterday, and turning me into a cloud is _way_ beyond-_

"Bonaaanzaaaa!" Rainbow looked in the direction of the sudden shout to see a grey and blonde pegasus approaching through the air at high speeds and barely in control of her own flight path.

"Derpy!" Rainbow cried in alarm and frustration. After taking a second to consider, she threw herself into the pegasus's way, using her cloud body to bring her to a quick but cushioned stop and then brought her down to the ground.

"Are you ok Ditzy?" Twilight asked, stopping to check on the mail-mare despite Angel's impatient protests.

"Muffins," Ditzy Doo said dizzily, her bright yellow eyes rolling around in her head, "I saucer barren, twinkle." She shook her head and tried to get to her feet, wobbling unsteadily. Her eyes were still spinning as she looked pleadingly at Twilight and said, "Kumquat, winky platen balance juice!"

"What?" Rainbow said, confused, "Talk normal."

"Yo toph bell minimal," the grey pegasus said insistently, eyes still spinning like mad, "Winky no muffin!"

"Ditzy," Twilight said calmly, "We don't understand a word you're saying." She flinched as Angel gave her a none-to-gentle poke in the side, shot a glance at the muscled rabbit, and then looked back to Ditzy and said, "Sorry, but we've got to go. Why don't you go just go home and hunker down until we figure out what's going on." Ditzy brightened up and nodded, starting to spread her wings until Rainbow tried to press them closed, her cloudy legs bending eerily around the feathers.

"Agh, not cool," Rainbow said, pulling away, "Anyway, you might wanna just walk, and maybe see the doctor about those eyes…" She didn't notice when Twilight tried to give her a disapproving jab in the side and just ended up with a slightly damp leg.

"Gulag mono froze pinchy," Ditzy said as she staggered off. Twilight prepared to lecture Rainbow about the eye comment, but was cut off when Angel, finally fed up with waiting, wrapped one thick arm around the unicorn's neck and started dragging her down the street.

"All right, all _right_, I'm coming," Twilight groused, freeing her head from Angel's grip, "Fluttershy's not the only pony with problems today you know." Angel just gave her a flat stare and continued loping along. "Oh, I hate to think what could have happened to her to make her unable to come to us herself," Twilight said with a shudder as she followed Angel. Her wings continued to quiver long after she stopped and then suddenly flared out stiffly to either side.

"It might not be so bad," Rainbow said, trying to sound casual, "She might just be too occupied with accounting for all her animals. Or something. Let's pick up the pace." She flapped her wings faster, finding it strangely harder to accelerate now that she was mostly water vapor, but soon pulled ahead of Twilight and Angel, the latter of which seemed to have already reached his top speed. After getting a couple blocks ahead, Rainbow pulled up short as she caught a flash of magenta and bubblegum pink out of the corner of her eye accompanied by the sound of Pinkie Pie calling her name. She looked around, eyes narrowed in confusion as she failed to catch sight of the speaker.

"Something wrong?" Twilight asked as she and Angel caught up.

"I just thought I heard Pinkie," the cloud-pony said, shaking her head, "It was probably just my imagination though. I hope. Come on." She aimed her nose toward Fluttershy's cottage and started regaining her forward momentum.

They soon reached the cottage, and even without Angel's anxious pointing and hopping it was immediately obvious that something very strange had happened. Rabbits, squirrels, songbirds, and badgers with disproportionately long or thick limbs were hard at work tearing a hole in the cottage' sod roof. Other animals of more normal proportion were moving between the diggers to pull what looked like long pink willow fronds out of the hole and lay them across roof. Angel allowed for a few seconds for Twilight to take in the scene before giving her a light push that sent her stumbling toward the door. As she regained her balance, her tiny wings decided to try and fly again, buzzing like a hummingbird's as they forcibly arched her back. After trying to take a few steps like this, Twilight got fed up and conjured up a rope to tie the autonomous appendages against her side. The wings fought back, slapping at the rope ends and wiggling out from under the bindings before Twilight could pull them tight. She ultimately had to have Angel pin the wings to her side with his oversized paws until she could get enough snug loops around herself to finish the job.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had drifted to the front door and looked inside. The main room was a mess of broken critter houses and furniture and four thick yellow roots poked down through the ceiling to the left of the doorway, ending just above Dash's head and covered with hair-thin rootlets that reached almost to the floor. "This better not mean what I think it does," she said in a low tone.

"What _do_ you… oh," Twilight said as she came over and looked inside for herself. She gave the roots a confused frown and then entered the cottage, heading straight for the stairs. "Fluttershy! Are you ok?" she called out as she crossed the room. There was no answer; the only sounds were her hooves on the floor and the scraping of the animals digging out the roof. With Rainbow Dash on her tail, Twilight ran upstairs and burst into Fluttershy's bedroom and then came to a sudden, gasping halt. "F-fluttershy…" she stammered weakly, "she…"

"She's a tree!" Rainbow exclaimed, "I knew it! This is crazy!"

Standing beside Fluttershy's bed was a butter-yellow willow tree about one and half pony-heights tall with pink branches and leaves, several of which were now reaching up and out of the hole being torn out of the roof above it. The base of the trunk was shaped like four pony legs held together, and at head height facing the window was a head-sized knob of wood, and as Twilight and Rainbow walked around to look at, they saw Fluttershy's fear-filled teal eyes staring out from it. "Fluttershy, can you hear me?" Twilight asked, laying a hoof gently on the trunk. The eyes widened and looked down slightly, focusing on the lavender unicorn. "That's right, I'm here," Twilight said soothingly, "everything's going to be ok. I just need time to figure out what happened. Can you tell me anything about last night?"

"Twilight, she's a tree," Rainbow said flatly, "trees can't talk."

"Well you're a cloud, and you can talk just fine," the unicorn shot back, "and without a discernable mouth at that."

"That's…" the cloud pony paused in thought and then threw up her front legs in defeat, saying, "Forget it. This is making my brain hurt. Or whatever's passing for my brain at the moment… gah!"

"Don't hurt yourself Rainbow," Twilight said dryly and then turned her attention back to Fluttershy, who was looking at the frustrated winged cloud with astonishment. "Fluttershy," Twilight said, "can you blink or something to let me know you can hear me?" The teal eyes blinked and Twilight gave a relieved sigh. "Ok, that makes things easier," she said, "blink once for yes and twice for no, ok?" Fluttershy blinked. "Do you have any idea whatsoever about how this happened?"

Two blinks.

"Did you wake up like this?"

Two blinks.

"Curious… Did you feel strange when you woke up?"

Blink.

"Ok, then would I be right in guessing you suddenly erupted into growth once your hooves touched the floor?"

There was a long pause, and then a single blink.

"Close enough then," Twilight said with a dismissive wave. She looked up at the roof for a moment and then asked, "Your friends are trying to make sure you get enough sunlight, aren't they?"

Blink.

"Ok, that's good, but it might be better to get you into some real soil so your roots don't dehydrate."

"How are we going to do that?" Rainbow asked, her confusion also reflected in Fluttershy's eyes.

"Well," Twilight said, looking out the window, "the fact that I have tiny wings with minds of their own doesn't seem to have affected my magic any. I should be able to levitate Fluttershy and plant her out in the yard. But then there's the problem of actually getting her outside…" She bit her lip as she looked around and thought, and then finally sighed and gave the yellow tree-pony an apologetic look. "I'll pay for the repairs," she said, and then looked up at the roof and shouted, "Everypony clear the area! The roof is coming down!" Several rodent faces peered down the hole curiously as Twilight's horn began to glow, and then promptly scattered as a spider web of magenta-glowing cracks began to spread from the hole and across the roof and outer wall of the bedroom. Rainbow stuck around for a few moments longer, but when the ominous cracking of wood and plaster began she decided to take shelter downstairs. With a cry of effort from Twilight, the wall and roof exploded outward, the detritus hanging suspended in her magic for a few moments before trickling down into a pile by the side of the house. Cutting off the magic for a second, Twilight caught her breath and then teleported down into the yard. Wrapping Flutter-tree in a sheath of telekinetic magic, she broke the section of floor the tree was rooted in away from the rest and floated her out of the ruined bedroom and down toward the ground. As she did so, Twilight diverted some of her magic to digging a hole in the dirt and then settled Flutter-tree into it, carefully spreading her roots out as she gradually returned the dirt to the hole, adding some water from the nearby stream. While it wasn't nearly as taxing as soothing an upset Ursa Minor back to sleep, by the time she was finished Twilight felt quite light-headed. "How does that feel?" she asked, "Do you think you'll be ok for a while?"

Fluttershy's eyes slowly rolled left and right for a moment as she thought, and then she focused on Twilight and blinked once. Her eyes were brimming with grateful, and literally sappy, tears. Twilight smiled, gave the tree an encouraging pat, and then started to walk around her to go find Rainbow Dash, only to be startled by a voice behind her.

"Well, doesn't that just beat all."


	13. Chapter 5: Gathering the Windfalls

Ashen Blaze, with PC upon his head, walked past the startled Twilight Sparkle and up to Flutter-tree, not even glancing at the winged unicorn in his fascination with the yellow pony-turned-willow. "_Transformatus en totalus_," the ash-grey mage said, "and full taxonomic shift to boot."

"Stop trying to sound smart and start trying to fix the poor thing." Twilight turned around to see Gale, Gold Heart, and Soul Mage standing just inside the gate of Fluttershy's yard. With them was a fourth pony, earth breed with a mid-range grey coat, a mane of nearly the same color cut short and styled up in a Mohawk, and dark turquoise eyes. "Hello Twilight," Soul said, "That's… an interesting fashion statement you're making."

"Huh?" Twilight asked, confused until a twinge in her side reminded her. "Oh, right, the rope. There's a good reason for that."

Ash turned away from Fluttershy to make a comment, but was distracted from it by Rainbow Dash's arrival. He stared slack-jawed at the winged pony-shaped cloud until Heart came over and gave him a light wing-slap on the head. "Y'gosh, the surprises keep getting bigger," he exclaimed excitedly, "but then the possible explanations keep getting more complex…"

"Can you please stop acting like a kid in a candy store Ash?" Heart asked quietly, shooting a glance back at the other Order-naries, "You're on thin ice as it is."

"Truth," Ash said, sobering, "but this is the first opportunity I've had to really analyze chaos-fueled magic without it being thrown around violently and in my general direction."

"Chaos-fueled?" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Do you know what's happened to us?" Twilight asked almost at the same time.

"Us?" Ash responded in confusion. Twilight undid the ropes and let her tiny wings free, and they responded by posturing proudly. "Ah," the fire-maned unicorn said, nodding, "Not the strangest thing I've seen today, but that makes the count four for four. Well, I can't say I know exactly what's happened to change you, but Discord is at the heart of it." He gave a reassuring wave of his hoof as Twilight and Rainbow gasped and Flutter-tree's eyes bugged out. "He's still petrified, mostly," Ash said, "but…" He trailed off, closing his mouth in a grimace as debated how to break the news.

"His seal's weakened," Soul said, coming to Ash's aid, "enough to play some mind games and arrange for being spirited away from Canterlot."

"Yes," Ash said, giving the golden-yellow unicorn a grateful look, "I figured he'd want to lie low until he can break loose, and the Everfree Forest is a good place for his kind of villain to lay low in, so I teleported myself and the team to Zecora's to start the search, only to find _her_," he pointed to the grey earth pony, "and PC started picking up a lot of ambient chaos magic in Ponyville's direction. So we came to see if we could lend a hand."

"And who is she?" Twilight asked, walking to take a closer look at the stranger. She stopped short as the mare met her gaze with a knowing smile and a familiar glint in her eyes. Twilight blinked twice as other details like the angular muzzle, the grey band at the base of her tail, and the lithe strength implied by her stance clicked into place in her mind. "Zecora?"

"Correct on the first guess Twilight," the grey mare said, her accent confirming her identity, "I share the fate that has afflicted all of you."

"Hey, you didn't rhyme," Rainbow said, concern in her eyes.

"Yes," the former zebra said, "even if I wanted to, I cannot form a rhyme. Attempting to ends in failure every… occasion."

"It's definitely not poison joak, if you were wondering," Ash said, circling Fluttershy slowly as PC scanned her, "Zecora tried the remedy bath already and thus far…" He paused and looked up at Rainbow Dash. "PC hasn't been able to isolate external cause of these transformations. I'll need more time, and more subjects if we can get them. Is anypony else… off today?"

"Well, Spike's going through an odd growth spurt," Rainbow said, "and Derpy was… more so. And then there's Angel and-" She cut off and flinched back in fright along with everypony else as a frustrated pink earth pony suddenly appeared in the middle of the group.

"Holy Pinkie Pie out of nowhere!" Ash yelped.

Pinkie blinked, looked around, and then visibly relaxed and started babbling, "Oh my gosh girls – oh, and guys too hi there Ash and Soul – you not _believe_ the day I've been having so far. I don't know how much time I've got to explain, so don't interrupt, mm'kay? Anyway, after that cra-azy windstorm last evening I had more dust in my coat than coat, so I went home and had a nice long bath and afterward my Pinkie Sense started going off for some new kind of doozy so I decided to stay up until I found out what it meant. About midnight or so I started to get drowsy and I closed my eyes for a second and the next thing I know I'm in the lake! And that was only the start; ever since then I've been teleporting around to random places at random moments and I can't contr-" With that she was gone just as suddenly as she had appeared, leaving bewildered silence in her wake.

"What the heck just happened?" Soul asked after finding his voice at last.

"_Nicht goh_ _vet'ciu_," Ash muttered, moving PC's eyepiece aside and rubbing his eyes in disbelief, "_Bara…_"

"In Einglish, Ash," Gale said reprovingly.

"She didn't leave a trace," the ash-grey unicorn said, repositioning the eyepiece, "No gathering or shifting of the local magic field prior to her appearance, no crack or snap of air moving into or out of the space she occupied, and absolutely nothing to predict her disappearance or to even hint that she was here. PC confirms she was physically there, but by all the laws of physics, magic, and so on she just did the impossible."

"Well, it _is_ Pinkie Pie," Rainbow said.

"No," Twilight said, shaking her head, "She was disturbed by it happening. If _Pinkie_ is freaked out by Pinkie doing something inexplicable, there's something wrong."

"I think it might be a good idea to check on Applejack and Rarity," Heart said, "if not the entire population of Ponyville."

"Good plan," Ash said, heading for the road, "I still need more scans for PC to work with anyway."

Rainbow and Twilight shared a glance as the Order-naries and Zecora trotted away. "Will you ok by yourself here Fluttershy?" Twilight asked the pony-tree. Fluttershy blinked twice and then looked emphatically to her left. Twilight looked over and gave herself a light face-hoof when she saw Angel and several other animals standing nearby, the over-sized bunny giving her a smug look. "You won't be alone, right," Twilight said, "We'll be back as soon as we find a solution."

"Count on it," Rainbow added as the she and Twilight took off after Ash's company.

They made their way toward the Carousel Boutique first, providing Ash and PC the opportunity to observe other ponies who had undergone strange transformations. They passed by Lyra and Bon Bon on Stirrup Street. The green unicorn was finding herself unable to set her front hooves on the ground and thus forced to balance against Bon Bon, whose voice changed pitch and timbre every time she opened her mouth. They were mildly put out to learn that there wasn't a fix, but trusted that Twilight and Zecora could eventually find one. "We'll be on the nearest bench when you're ready," Bon Bon said, sounding like a raspy trumpet as she helped guide Lyra away. Up in the sky, a few pegasi were making a valiant attempt at keeping the sky clear despite the fact that they were either sweating clouds or actually _were_ clouds like Rainbow Dash, and the task was made more difficult by Thunderlane ricocheting from roof to roof like a living lightning bolt. A couple of times Pinkie Pie came running down from a cross street to rejoin them, only to vanish into thin air again before reaching them.

As they finally neared Rarity's home, the sounds of shouting, feline yowls, and collisions coming from inside spurred them to gallop over the remaining distance. Ashen Blaze reached the door first and threw it open as he charged inside to assess the situation. "Rarity!" He cried, "We're here to help! What's wrong?" The boutique was a mess of upset ponequins and clothing racks, overturned and upset furniture, and scattered outfits and cloth with a garnish of white cat hair. Through all this, little Sweetie Belle was attempting to grab and restrain Opalescence, who in turn was chasing something small currently underneath a taffeta cape. At Ash's cry, the pursuit came to a pause, and then the small bump under the cape started moving toward Ash, revealing itself as a white rat as it came into the open. Sweetie caught Opal's tail under her hoof and proceeded to try and subdue the Persian while dodging angry claws and at the same time shouting, "The mouse is Rarity!"

"Of course she is," Ash said, rolling his eyes. He knelt down slightly and held out a leg for the white rodent to hop on to and climb up. Once she was on his back, Ash straightened up in time to see Opal pouncing toward him and caught her in a telekinetic bubble. "Bad kitty," he said sharply. Opal glowered and growled before turning her back on him with an indignant upward tilt of her nose.

"Oh my," the rat said in a quiet, breathless voice that was unmistakably Rarity's, scaled down to size, "My poor heart… Ash, you're my hero."

"It's what I do," Ash said casually, waiting patiently as Sweetie Belle went upstairs and returned with a cat carrier.

"Would you mind terribly if I fainted?" Rarity asked.

"Try not to fall off," Ash replied as the transformed pony fell onto her back with a paw held to her forehead. Sweetie came over with the carrier and Ash stuffed the furious white cat unceremoniously inside and slammed the door shut on her face. "Lucky you were here Ms. Belle," he said, patting the filly on the head, "but if you're thinking of an animal wrangling cutie mark, you might need more practice."

"I'm just glad Rarity's ok," Sweetie Belle said after setting the cat carrier down, relief mixing with glee at the praise from the grey unicorn.

"So, Rari-rat, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, poking her cloud head through the top of the door to get a better look, "Or does 'Rat-ity' sound better?"

"I am a _mouse_ thank you very much," Rarity said, glaring up at the cloud-pony, "A much less dirty and more refined creature. And what in Equestria happened to you?"

"I'm a cloud," Rainbow answered flatly, "Twilight's got tiny wings, Spike's turning into a snake-dragon, Pinkie's got some random teleporting thing going on, Zecora's not technically a zebra anymore and Fluttershy is a tree. Not to mention that the better part of Ponyville's got something weird going on."

"Oh my," Rarity said, aghast.

"Indeed," Ash said, adjusting PC slightly before stepping out of the boutique, "Now, the curious thing is that Sweetie Belle doesn't seem to have been affected while you were Rarity. What is the crucial difference?" He frowned and rolled his eyes as the head-mounted computer responded to the question. "Yes," he replied sarcastically, "scan the normals, establish a baseline, and be consistent in asking my opinion, _thank_ you very much. And here I thought Gale was having a positive effect on his personality," he added in a mutter as the computer scanned Sweetie.

"I have," the brown earth pony said, "he just likes to antagonize you."

Ash gave her a sidelong look, and then huffed and started walking away, declaring, "On to Sweet Apple Acres then."

"How many more ponies do you need to see Ash?" Soul asked as the group fell in behind the fire-maned unicorn.

"Oh, I might have a lead before we reach the farm," Ash replied, "but we should see to the Apples in any case. If AJ's the only Element Bearer to _not_ be affected by this transformative prank gone wrong, I'll find a hat and eat it."

"I thought you said it wasn't poison joak?" Twilight inquired.

"It isn't, you can trust me on that," Zecora said, "But there is a definite similarity between this and poison joak's desire for a... chuckle."

"Hmm," Twilight said, thinking, "We might be on to something there. Whatever caused these changes might be feeding off something in our subconscious. I know Spike's always thinking about reaching his first real growth spurt, and now he's getting one in a bad way."

"I take it then that you've fantasized about being an alicorn?" Soul asked with a wry smile and a nod toward the tiny lavender wings on Twilight's sides.

"Well," Twilight said, blushing in embarrassment, "Princess Celestia did… er, that is… she has been my teacher since I was a little filly, and she always praised my power and quickness to learn…"

"Hey, that's nothing to be ashamed of," Gale said, "It's natural for a student to aspire to be exactly like their teacher. Especially when they do everything in their power to help you discover yourself…" Her voice and ears dropped sullenly as she finished and Heart quickly moved to give her a comforting nuzzle. Ash bit his lip and let his head drop slightly.

"Is something the matter Ash?" Rarity asked, feeling the stallion's muscles tensing under her paws.

"A number of things," Ash muttered, "Please don't ask."

The mouse huffed and climbed up onto Ash's head, securing herself in his flame-colored mane and whispering, "Ashen Blaze, you know how I feel about you-"

"Any ideas why you'd become a mouse?" Ash asked, forcibly changing the subject and drawing everypony's curious attention.

"I'm not letting this drop," Rarity muttered into his ear before speaking up to answer the question, "Unless it's from some silly foalhood fantasy game of mine, I can't imagine a reason."

"Young pegasi in Cloudsdale often use small clouds as flight aids before their wings catch back up to their bodies," Rainbow Dash mused, looking up at the weather ponies still fighting for clear skies, "I know I wasn't the only one who liked trying to fly while inside a cloud instead of on top of it… That was before I realized how cool speed and stunt flying were of course."

"So, it seems like the joke, if that's what it is, draws inspiration from our idle dreams and desires," Twilight said.

"I never wished for this!" a giant jar of grape jelly with a pony's head for a lid shouted from across the street.

"Oooh-kay," Rainbow said, "We _really_ need to get this straightened out. Ponyville's turning into Discord's dream home and he's not even around to pin the blame on."

"Nah, it needs more cotton candy clouds first," Pinkie Pie said in a deadpan as she extracted herself from a nearby bush, her mane and tail a mess of tangles with leaves and branches in them.

"Hey Pinkie," Twilight said, "Have you dropped in to AJ's place yet today?"

"Nope," the party pony answered, falling into step with the group, "but I _have_ been to two attics, Carrot Top's kitchen, the post office, Fluttershy's again, and the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse. Actually, that's on Sweet Apples Acres land, isn't it? Nopony was around then though, so…" she finished with a shrug.

"Oh! Idea," Rainbow said suddenly, "Pinkie, as long you're jumping around, why don't you tell everypony you bump into to spread the word to gather at Town Hall. We can get a headcount on all the ponies who've been changed so Twilight or Zecora or whoever ends up fixing this knows how big to make the fix."

"Great idea," Twilight said with an approving smile.

"Okie dokie," Pinkie said, "I'll get right on that." Half a second later she was nowhere to be seen, although the debris in her mane was left behind.

* * *

><p>If the Carousel Boutique was a mess, Sweet Apple Acres was a disaster area. The gale-force winds of the previous evening had nearly denuded all the trees along the boundaries between the orchard, Ponyville, and the Everfree Forest. Leaves, broken branches, and apples in various stages of growth littered the ground as far as the group could see as they approached. "What happened last night anyway?" Soul asked as they passed through the gate, "Pinkie and Sweetie Belle both mentioned a wind-storm, and this place looks like it suffered a whopper of one."<p>

"The wind just rose up from somewhere in the Everfree Forest without warning," Rainbow Dash answered with a dramatic shrug, "I've never seen wild winds that strong; it was getting close to a six-hundred wing power tornado in strength before we could whip up a counter-current to break it. It was blowing in dust like crazy too."

"Interesting," Ash said slowly.

From up ahead and among the trees to the left came a voice like a helium balloon with a country accent shouting, "Rainbow Dash! Is that you I hear over there?"

"Applejack?" the cloud-pony called back with some confusion and a hint of mirth, "Did you get shrunk again?"

"Not exactly," AJ replied as the group turned off the path and followed the sound of her voice, "It's a bit more embarassin' than that, so you gotta promise ya won't laugh too much afore ya git a look at me."

"It can't be that bad," Ash called out as a wagon came into view up ahead, "We've seen some weird stuff today."

"Oh yeah?" Applejack said as her head rose into view from inside the wagon, "Y'all seen anything like this?" With a mighty leap she hopped up and balanced on the side of the wagon, revealing that her legs had shortened to the point of barely allowing her to keep her belly off the ground, and her tail was little more than a short tuft of hair.

"Oh my gosh, she's like a corgi dog… pony," Heart said, fighting down the urge to squee as her eyes widened.

"That… Mmph…" Rainbow muttered, trying to hold in her laughter.

"Go ahead and let it out RD," AJ squeaked, rolling her eyes, "afore ya burst inta downpour or somethin'. How in hayseed did ya end up as a cloud anyway?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Twilight said, casting a meaningful glance at Ash, who was focused on PC at the moment, "Half of Ponyville's suffering from weird changes. Is anyone else in your family affected?"

"Granny Smith seems to have avoided whatever this is," the farm-pony answered, "but Macinotsh is moving like molasses in an icebox and Apple Bloom…" As if summoned, the red-headed filly came flying out of a nearby tree, executing a perfect triple back-flip with a twist before landing and going straight into a series of somersaults in the direction of the farmhouse, all while somehow twirling a loopty-hoop with her tail. Her flank was marked with a set of uneven parallel bars, a silver hoop, a spinning lasso and a yellow castle on a red shield.

"Nueva marca de cutie!" she cried as she rolled past the group, "Fuera de mi camino, necesito una cuerda!"

"Oh dear," Rarity exclaimed, "She's got the Cutie Pox again? Poor thing…"

Applejack did a double-take when she spotted the mouse-shaped fashionista on Ash's back. "Might be," she said, "but she's only ever had four marks at a time since breakfast. She's been trying her darndest, but between her, Mac moving like a snail, and _these_," she flailed one of her stumpy legs, gesturing to the detritus all around at the same time, "we'll be lucky to have this mess cleared out before the Running of the Leaves."

"It's not Cutie Pox," Ash said, watching Apple Bloom tumble away, "She's got the same markers of external magical contamination as…" He trailed off and blinked a few times. "Hold the phone, I think PC… Yes, yes, that'll do nicely." He whirled and looked around with quick jerks of his head, and then floated PC off his head and glanced around again. "Ha ha. _Yes!_" he crowed, rearing up in a triumphant pose, "The transformative magic is still linked to its original source, and the signs point back to the Everfree Forest. I can track it down and bring back a sample to build an antidote from."

"You're not going off alone," Gale said sharply, moving to stand in front of the grey stallion.

"Ah, of course not," Ash said, sobering, "Too risky. Heart and Soul, accompany me if you will."

"And what about me?" Gale asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You," Ash said, setting PC onto Gale's head, "will study up on what PC's deduced already and report it to the ponies of Ponyville so they can know what's happened and figure out how to cope until a cure is found. Oh, and take Rarity too," he added, levitating the rodent from his back to hers.

"Do be careful darlings," Rarity said.

"Always, Rarity, always," Ash said with a slight bow, and then turned to Heart and Soul and said, "All right, follow me." The golden-yellow pair nodded and took up positions on either side of Ash as they galloped away toward the Forest.

"All right then," Gale said, adjusting PC to sit properly on her head before starting to head off, "Let's go do some crowd-control girls." She only made it a few steps before Pinkie Pie appeared in front of her, looking a bit worried.

"Hey girls," she said, "I was just at Trixie's wagon, and they might need a bit of cheering up…"


	14. Chapter 6: Crowd Control

The G&PT Traveling Thespians wagon had been parked on the lee side of the Quills and Sofas shop (the proprietor of which had been lucky enough to avoid the transformations) during the wind-storm, and that is where Gale, Zecora, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash found it after returning to town. The wagon was closed up tight, and Twilight's initial knock on the door seemed to go unheeded amidst the muffled cacophony of distressed and argumentative sounds coming from within. Twilight pounded the door again and the voices within quieted for a few seconds. There was another brief discussion and then the door creaked open slightly, revealing only glimpse of a solid black oval of an eye framed in light gray.

"Uh, hello," Twilight said with an awkward smile, "Is… everypony ok in there?" The top half of the eye vanished and the owner let out an almost musical but grudging sigh before stepping back and opening the door fully. "Trixie?" Twilight asked in surprise, "is that you?"

Trixie nodded, her expression changing from bemusement to pouting in a blink of the eye. She was entirely monochrome, with a coat of light grey, mane and tail almost pure white, eyes that were simply black ovals, and her cutie mark appeared to have changed into a simpler shape of a white-tipped black magician's wand, _sans_ star or wisp of pixie dust. Her eyes and cutie mark weren't the only alterations though; her entire body was shaped like something out of a foal's crayon drawing. Her legs were thin to the point of seeming incapable of supporting the weight of her cylindrical body, her neck wasn't much thicker, and although her head looked mostly normal, her ears were pointy triangles and her mane and tail were stiff and immobile.

_Dear heavens_, Gale thought as she stared at the mare, _It's like she's straight out of a silent-movie era cartoon!_

"Hey, what's the matter Trix?" Rainbow asked, "Where's the usual grandiose greeting? Cat got your tongue?" Trixie fixed the cloud-pony with a glare and stuck her tongue out with sound like a party horn.

_Definitely an oldie cartoon,_ Gale thought, holding in a wry smirk.

"She can't talk," Harlequin called from inside the wagon," but she's the only one of us in any shape to move about at the moment." Trixie shot a quizzical look her over her shoulder, to which Harlequin responded, "Hey, we can't exactly keep ourselves hidden if want to get back to our old selves. I say let 'em see, provided they have an explanation."

"We do have an explanation," Gale said, "just not a cure yet. Ashen Blaze is tracking down a clue to that at the moment though." Trixie nodded and moved aside to let Gale enter, followed shortly by Twilight, Dash, and Applejack while Zecora opted to wait outside.

Twilight caught the gray-toned showmare giving her tiny wings a look akin to envy as she entered and said, "They're more trouble than they're worth, trust me."

"At least yer legs are the right size," AJ said as she hopped up the steps.

"You should be thankful your legs even _work_," Harlequin countered from the other end of the wagon. He was laying on his stomach on the floor with his legs splayed out around him bonelessly, each bent in an unnaturally rubbery way that left the girls dumbstruck in revulsion. Rarity nearly fell off her perch on Gale's back in fright. "I've been complimented on my agility and flexibility by comparison to rubber," he said sourly, "but this is ridiculous."

"And what of Barnacle Salt and Cabbage Patch?" Rarity asked, looking around the wagon as an excuse to not look at Harlequin anymore. A tapping sound drew her and the others's attention to Cabbage's sea-pony tank, which was currently occupied by a pony-sized mustard-yellow seahorse with a grizzled, kelp-green maned stallion's head.

"Oh my gosh," Twilight said in equal parts surprise and excitement, "now _that's_ a fine example of the mythical _hippocampus maria_." The transformed Barnacle raised an eyebrow and said something that was muffled by the water he was floating in. "Pardon?" Twilight asked.

"He… he said 'thanks fer the compliment marm.' Or… something like that I'm sure," a small voice said from within a nearby bundle of cloth and ribbon, briefly adopting a rough sailor accent.

"Thanks Cabbage," Twilight said sweetly, turning to the bundle, "and what happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," the hidden pony said quickly.

"Hey, come on kid," Rainbow said, floating over, "it can't be that bad. I mean, I'm a cloud right now, and we've seen plenty of crazier things already."

"Just stay away please," Cabbage said in a small whimper.

"Come on," Rainbow goaded, trying to poke the pile with a vaporous hoof, "You have to come out some time. At least tell us what it is. Are you attracting these rags? Oh, or maybe you turned into a living ragdoll or a freaky composite of cast-off clothing pieces!" Cabbage just whimpered in response.

"Now Rainbow Dash, just leave the poor thing alone," Rarity admonished, "you're being a bully."

"A bully with a point though," Applejack said, waddling over to the pile of cloth, "Ya can't take yer medicine before the doc knows what's ailin' ya." Before anypony could point out that they didn't even have "the medicine" available yet, the short-limbed pony had gripped the largest bit of cloth in her mouth and yanked it away, taking most of the pile with it and revealing the pony underneath to her shocked audience. "Land sakes…" AJ gasped, backing away slowly, "Now I've seen everythin'." The thing staring around with wide, fear-filled eyes as she curled herself into a tiny ball was obviously Cabbage Patch, but calling her a pony would only be partly correct. She was still a sea-green color with a blue mane, but from her back sprouted a pair of large dragonfly wings with some punctures in them near the ends, her lower legs were marked by deep pockmarks, her tail was a short, stiff, and wiry brush, and her eyes were a flat blue devoid of pupils.

"Partly Changeling?" Gale mused, taking a step closer, "That is an interestin-" She cut off and pulled back slightly as PC started flashing warnings across the eye-piece. "PC, what are you doing?" she asked it sternly as she closed her uncovered eye and tried to keep up with the flow of text, "Changeling DNA? I can see that. It's just an effect of the plant like with everyone else. … Don't give me that; you told me most of the drastic changes have struck down to fundamental levels, so why should this be different?" The head-mounted computer calmed, and after a second of calculating presented Gale with a question. "Fine," the earth pony said wearily, "Remind me later, and do _not_ let Ash know about this until I've confirmed it, understood?" PC beeped once and the eye-piece cleared. Gale looked down at Cabbage, who was now quaking like a leaf, and knelt down to stroke her head comfortingly. "Don't worry," she said, "we'll get you back to normal as soon as possible, and if you don't want anyone else to know how you've been affected, I won't tell." Twilight and the others were quick to add their assurances as well, which brought a measure of surprise and relief to the little pony.

"Mind telling us what that was all about?" Harlequin asked.

"Maybe later," Gale answered, "right now I need to go tell the entire town why everypony's turning into random stuff. If you want to come along…" She paused and looked around the wagon again, at Harlequin with his rubbery limbs, Barnacle trapped in a water tank due to an aquatic body shape, Cabbage clearly terrified of being seen, and finally at the Monochromatic and Silent Trixie. "…I'm sure somepony here would be willing to haul your wagon to the town square," she finished and then headed out the door.

* * *

><p>"Is it just me," Soul Mage asked, looking around, "or does anyone else feel like we're being watched?"<p>

"We're in the middle of a wild, untamed forest," Gold Heart said, "and well off any trails that see regular use by pony or zebra. I'd be more worried if we _weren't_ being watched by the wildlife." Despite her casual tone, she moved closer to her brother and cast wary glances in all directions as the pair followed their ash-grey guide. "How much farther do you think Ash?" she asked him.

"We should be getting close," Ashen Blaze answered, narrowed eyes focused on the path in front of him, "Even as out of practice as I am with following my magic sense, the scent's getting stronger."

"Have I mentioned how ironic it is that you only have that sixth sense now because you were underestimating your skill at cutting deals with a devil?" Soul asked, his tone light but not hiding the accusation in the words.

"Discord gave me Mage Sight to mess with and manipulate me," Ash retorted, fighting to keep his voice level, "The only 'deal' I ever cut with him was for the materials I needed to synthesize _stinim_ bark, which is-"

"A small luxury you'd do anything for," Soul cut in. Ash cast a hard glance back at him and he added, "Ok, anything short of compromising your values or those you put under your protection. It was still a really bad idea not to let us know about it."

"Yes, thank you ever so much for that reminder of my error," Ash grumbled.

"You're welcome," Soul said.

"Too far over the line brother," Heart scolded, slapping Soul hard upside the head with a wing. She then trotted ahead and gave Ash a smack as well. "And _you_ stop beating yourself up over this," she said, "We are fixing this, so you don't have to feel guilty."

"Truth… truth," Ash said, shamefaced. The trio continued on in silence until they came upon a vast clearing, at the center of which stood a stone building of curious and seemingly haphazard architecture. A veritable carpet of knee-high yellow flowers stood between the three Order-naries and the building, and the twins didn't need Ash's help to sense the potential danger. "Ok," Ash said, approaching the flowers cautiously, "Everything points to these. Heart, keep an eye out for surprises while Soul and I gather some of these flowers. Do not let them come into contact with you; we don't know how long the effects take to manifest and I don't want to add to their workload back in Ponyville."

"Agreed," Soul said, following the other unicorn and stretching a tendril of spirit magic out toward the field. As they set to work, Heart spread her wings to take to the air and watch from above, only to freeze as she saw something dark begin to flow out of the doorway of the strange building and divide to form a ring around the clearing.

"Guys," she said, running toward Soul, "We've already got trouble."

* * *

><p>The Traveling Thespian wagon and the impromptu sideshow menagerie – that is to say Twilight and company – arrived at the town hall to find a scene that proved that even in a crisis of confusion Ponyville's leadership knew how to set up an orderly town meeting. The mayor stood beside a podium set up on the town hall steps, showing no signs of having been hit by the mysterious affliction. The crowd standing in front of the town hall was calm, orderly, and neatly divided with transformed and afflicted ponies on the left and those who had been spared on the right. While Twilight, who volunteered to pull the wagon, parked it with the door facing the stage, Gale put Rari-mouse in Trixie's care and then cantered down the aisle between the groups and took her place behind the podium. She took a second to adjust PC to sit more comfortably on her head, and then prompted it to start displaying the relevant data, and finally cleared her throat and rapped a hoof on the podium for attention.<p>

"Citizens of Ponyville," she said, "If you don't recognize me, my name is Gale, and I'm going to cut to the chase. You want to know what has happened and why, and while I can't answer that completely, I can give you a basic idea. This malady is a magical manipulation of your molecular make-up, resulting in randomized…" She trailed off as a look of mild annoyance crossed her face. She turned her head to the side and made a couple of forced-sounding coughs and then resumed speaking. "The effects appear to be related to those of the poison joak flower, which some of you are intimately familiar with, but whereas poison joak inflicts changes that are only mildly dangerous at worst and typically just rearrange or resize certain body parts, this plant - we're pretty sure the culprit in this case is also a plant of some kind – is obviously a lot more… shall we say powerful. I've personally seen ponies who've been turned into animals, cloud-ponies, and even a tree."

"Rose is a topiary now," Lily cried out from the unaffected side of the audience.

"This bipedal stance is killing my back," Lyra complained from the other side.

"Muffin humming derp!"

"Ok, thank you everypony," Gale said as descriptions of the various changes and inconveniences started to roll through the crowd. When the chattering continued despite her subtle cue for attention, she slammed both fore-hooves on the podium and shouted, "If I could have your attention again please?" She got it, as silence fell like a cloudburst over the audience. "Thank _you_," the earth pony said prissily, "Now, where was I? Ah yes, whatever the plant did to you, the effects are mostly likely drawn from some old fantasy or whimsy of yours, whether you ever told anypony about it or not."

"How did this plant get to them though?" Lily asked, pointing toward the afflicted group, "and why only them? I haven't seen any strange new plants around town today."

"There was a strange, powerful windstorm sometime around dusk yesterday, correct?" Gale asked, getting a wave of nods in return, "As I understand it, that wind came with a lot of dust and originated from the Everfree Forest. The dust clouds likely contained a great deal of the plant's pollen or other particles from it, so any and everypony who was outside during the storm and got hit by the dust is now… something else. Those of you who aren't changed were indoors or otherwise sheltered from the wind, am I right?"

The audience broke out into chattering as they took in the information and checked with each other about the previous evening. Gale let them talk, her gaze drifting toward the Everfree Forest with an inkling of worry, until Lily, who had apparently become the official spokesmare for the normal ponies, called her attention back to the meeting by saying, "You're right; everypony on my side managed to get inside before the first wave of dust hit."

"And everypony over here was outside," Rainbow Dash reported, "That includes almost all the pegasi on the weather patrol."

"So, what do we do?" another pony on the afflicted side asked, "Is there a cure?"

"Not yet," Gale admitted, and then held up a hoof for silence before anypony could express panic, adding, "but even now my friends, the other three Order-naries, are in the Everfree seeking out the plant that caused this. Once we have it we can study its attributes better and then Zecora can figure out how to brew an antidote. At least, I hope she can…"

"This twisted cousin of poison joak may have stolen my stripes and rhymes," Zecora said, walking to the front of the crowd, "but it has not taken my skills or knowledge. Give me the bloom, or whatever its form may be, and I will concoct a cure that can set us all… to rights." The crowd cheered.

"Yes," Gale said, taking control back after a few moments, "In the meantime, we have work to do to help things go smoothly. First of all, I'm certain there are ponies who aren't able to be here due to the nature of their transformations. Let's make sure that every pony is accounted for, changed and unchanged alike. By the time Ash and the others get here, I'd like a list of names of every changed pony, the nature of their change, and location if they're immobilized by something. If you know of a pony who has turned into a plant, get them into some damp soil if they aren't already, just to be on the safe side. I'll leave the details up to you Ms. Mayor."

"Thank you Gale," the Mayor said as the brown earth pony retired from the stand, "Twilight Sparkle, I trust you can take charge of organizing the census?"

"You can count on me," Twilight responded proudly. The mayor nodded and the crowd started to disperse, only to pause when Applejack called out and waddled out of the crowd on her stubby legs and hopped up onto the steps.

"I got a personal favor ta ask," the farm pony said, "Sweet Apple Acres is a complete mess right now and mah family's not exactly in the right shape ta clean it up by ourselves, so I'd appreciate it if any able-bodied pony with time on their hooves could lend those hooves on the farm. Thank you." She hopped back down the ground and the meeting broke up. A few ponies followed in AJ's wake as she trotted toward her home while the remainder went their separate ways. Gale went off with Zecora toward the Everfree forest to wait for Ash and the twins and Twilight headed to the library to gather her note-taking supplies and to check on Spike's condition. She arrived to find a large purple dragon's head with bright green eyes and a perfect green handlebar mustache blocking access to the front door of the hollowed tree.

"I think I outgrew the library Twilight," Spike said sullenly, "Sorry."


	15. Chapter 7: Apothecary Truths

Twilight stared at Spike's giant head protruding from the library door for several silent seconds before sighing and shaking her head slowly. "Oh Spike, what am I going to do with you?" she asked with bit a whimsy.

"As long as it involves getting me out of here, I don't care," the dragon replied crossly. Despite his increased size, his voice still had the pitch and tone of a preadolescent boy.

"What are you stuck on?" Twilight asked, going over to the window to look inside, "and how did you even get stuck in the first place?"

"I don't know," Spike answered, "The growth spurts kept coming, but they weren't too bad until about twenty minutes ago when my arms finally started catching up to the rest of me, and then it all sped up. And now I'm here, with my head outside and my tail still in the bedroom and I'm not sure how much I've got in between. Twilight "hmm'd" thoughtfully as she looked through the window, and then jumped back in surprise when Pinkie Pie's face appeared on the other side.

"Hey Twilight," Pinkie said, cracking the window open, "Is the meeting over already? How'd it go? I was there for Gale's introduction but then…" She waved a hoof idly and then looked over her shoulder and saw Spike's scaled hide behind her. "Holy moly," she said, "That's a lot of scaly purple snaky-ness. Did that river serpent stop by for a visit?"

"No, that would be me," Spike answered, eyes hooded in mild frustration.

"Pinkie, can you see what Spike's stuck on?" Twilight asked, "He can't get out."

"Sure thing," the pink pony said. She swept her gaze quickly along the length of Spike's body and then turned back to the window. "Looks to me like his shoulders are just too wide for the door Twilight," she said, "Fix that little problem and getting the rest out will be as easy as-" and then she was gone, warped away to another part of town by the twisted joke plant's curse.

"Well, it's helping her stay focused at least," Twilight mused to herself as she walked over to Spike's head and began to apply her mind to the puzzle of getting the over-long dragon's shoulders through the door. The most obvious plan would be to simply widen the hole, but that would require replacing the door afterwards and it wasn't easy to make repairs to a living tree look natural. Using magic to enlarge the door wouldn't necessarily damage the library, but it would be more or less permanent and the spell to do so would likely be complex, difficult, and time-consuming to get right. On the flipside, if she couldn't make the hole bigger, she could just shrink the dragon. He needed to be smaller anyway, so it was a win-win idea!

"Twilight, don't grin like that," Spike said, "You're making me worried. And your wings aren't helping."

Twilight wiped the manic smile that had found it ways onto her face and cast a glance at her little wings, which were unfurled and curled upwards in an attempt to look menacing. "Don't mind them," she said, turning her gaze back onto her oversized assistant, "I'm going to try and shrink you down for a moment so you can squeeze out."

"Couldn't you just… teleport me or something?" Spike asked nervously.

"I could try," the winged unicorn answered distractedly, focused more on trying to recall a size-changing spell, "and I'd end up moving half of the library along with you – mostly the first floor. You're too big."

"Oh."

Twilight's face scrunched up in concentration for several moments, but her horn didn't begin to glow until after she cracked an eye open and asked, "Your body isn't blocking any bookcases, is it?" Spike cocked his head to one side and gave her an unsure look. "I guess I'll find out then," the unicorn said and then vanished in a flash of magenta light, reappearing inside the library astride Spike's serpentine back. "Oh my," she said, finally getting a good look at how much purple dragon she had to work with, "I'm going to need the advanced transformation spell books for this…"

* * *

><p>"…and even after we figure out how to reverse the effects, we'll have to find some way to apply it no matter what a pony's been turned in to," Gale concluded, pacing in front of Flutter-tree. The brown earth pony and Zecora had come to Fluttershy's yard to wait for Ash and the twins to get back from their plant hunt. To pass the time, Gale had started to explain what she knew to Flutter-tree and the animals that had been transformed, but had quickly shifted to worrying out loud about the details. "A topical application like a lotion would be best," she muttered, "but how would we use it on non-solid ponies like Rainbow Dash? How much would we need to make for those suffering size changes, or have turned into trees? And how the blazes do we get it to Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy's blue eyes followed Gale, full of concern and anxiety at being unable to answer the brown pony's concerns.<p>

"Gale," Zecora said, trying to halt Gale with a hoof on her shoulder, only to be brushed aside. "It is not wise to work yourself into such a tizzy. Besides, all your pacing is making me… diz… _disoriented_!" She stamped and snorted in frustration, muttering something dark in her native tongue. Gale ignored her and continued to pace and ramble.

A lilac pegasus mare with a wild blue and white mane flew up and, after doing a quick double-take at Flutter-tree, landed nearby and watched Gale pace for a few seconds before awkwardly clearing her throat. "Um, excuse me?" she said, "we, uh, finished counting up the affected ponies and I was told to bring you the list." She reached a hoof into the bag at her side and brought out a sheet of paper, holding it out toward the unresponsive Gale. "Hello?" the pegasus said, and then looked at Zecora and asked, "is she ok?"

"A simple case of nerves at the unknown factors in the problem is what I assume," the zebra-turned-pony said, "Perhaps reading what you've brought will help her come to grips, Miss Cloud Chaser."

"Ok," Cloud Chaser said unsurely, "Let's see then… We counted sixty eight ponies suffering from some sort of transformation or other strange symptoms in all. Half of those are pegasi from the weather patrol, most either turned into clouds or having some sort of other cloud-based… thing, with exceptions like Ditzy Doo who is utterly off-balance and speaks gibberish and Thunderlane who can't seem to stop moving at near sonic speeds. There are nineteen unicorns and fifteen earth ponies, with eleven species shifts, nine extra or missing limbs, five issues related to mobility, four – actually five now counting Fluttershy – ponies turned into plants, and five miscellaneous problems." She looked up from the paper when Angel Bunny tapped her on the shoulder, and then looked around and added, "…and at least ten of Fluttershy's animals and one zebra."

"And a partridge in a pear tree," Gale said in a singsong tone.

"What?" Cloud Chaser asked, confused.

Gale shook her head and smacked her forehead a few times. "Never mind," she said, embarrassed, "What was doing?" Zecora started to answer, only to be interrupted by a loud, violent sneeze from the direction of the Everfree Forest.

"Griffon," a miserable-looking example of that exact species mumbled as it walked up to the gate of the yard. His body feathers and fur were ash-grey while his head was white with a crest of flaming red and orange. One taloned hand was wrapped possessively around a small bouquet of yellow flowers. A glimmer of happiness brightened up his vivid but weary and slightly bloodshot green eyes as he saw Gale and the others staring at him. "Well met ponies and assorted other things," he called out, waving the flowers at them, "mission acco-ah-AHCHOO!" In a puff of yellow dust, the griffon transformed into an ash-grey chimpanzee. "Chimp, again," he deadpanned.

"Ash?" Gale asked hesitantly, eyeing the creature, "Ashen Blaze, is that you?"

"Right on the first guess Gale," Ash the Ape said leaning against the fence wheezing, "_Bah re_, is this what hay fever feels like?"

Zecora started to go over to Ash, but was held back by Gale, who was eyeing the chimp with suspicion. "Where are Gold Heart and Soul Mage?" she asked.

"They… they…" Ash sneezed violently and turned into a Diamond Dog. "Ugh," he moaned, "Something attacked us; they told me to run ahead while they slowed it down. I thought they would have caught up by now, but… Well, we probably shouldn't worry too much yet. They can take care of each other."

"Ok," Gale said, "but what happened to you."

"This," Ash replied simply, holding the bouquet out, "Here's our culprit. I think I'll call it Cruel Joak unless someone has a better name. Don't get too close," he added as a quick warning as Gale took a few steps toward him.

Gale stopped and directed PC to start scanning the flowers as she looked them over herself. The blooms closely resembled poison joak, except the petals seemed larger and slightly heart-shaped and the stamen were longer and more numerous. "And how is it you're showing… symptoms already?" Gale asked, "It took a whole night to show up in Ponyville."

"Ponyville didn't get its face shoved into a field of this stuff and inhale a lungful of the pollen," Ash said dryly, "Speaking of which, this… th… _achoo!_ Baboon… This flower sheds pollen like there's no tomorrow! It's ridiculous."

"Don't you think you should get away from them then, if they keep making you sneeze?" Cloud Chaser suggested.

"Sure, _now_ I can," Ash said crossly. He dropped the flowers on the ground and walked away from them, grumbling, "_Skvetchte_ plants gave me hands, or passable substitutes, but took my magic away… Does PC have anything yet?"

"Maybe," Gale said, reading the head-mounted computer's display, "It seems to be hybrid between poison joak and something else, but he doesn't know what. 'No match found in database' he says."

"_Skvetch_," Ash swore, sitting down. He sneezed again and turned into a pony-sized grey and red dragon. "Hm, I could live with this one," he mused.

Zecora went over to the dropped flowers, leaned her head down for a closer look, and then sniffed them. "This gives off an aroma that is familiar to me," she said, rubbing her chin in thought, "partly the pungency of the prankster flower of course, but partly another, milder bloom…" She closed her eyes and pondered for several minutes. "Wait here," she said at last, "I think I may know this plant's other parent. I'll fetch it from my home so you can compare." She trotted away into the woods, leaving a somewhat awkward silence behind.

"So," Cloud Chaser said, rubbing her neck, "I should probably get going." She flew off without waiting for a response. Gale spared her only a brief glance before looking back to Ash.

"If this plant feeds off our inner desires for its effects, why is it giving you hands?" she asked.

"It's probably more complicated than that," Ash said, "My magic abilities are restricted in this world due to a lack of fingers for delicate spell-weaves, but that's a minor issue really. Discord did try to tempt me with the prospect of being turned human again once, before he decided to focus on the mind control approach." He caught sight of Flutter-tree's wide-eyed stare in his direction and blanched. "Ah, geez, I forgot you were there Fluttershy," he moaned, face-palming, "Yes, Discord's been getting into my head recently and planting suggestions, but now that I'm aware of it I've been able to resist."

"And we've been keeping him in sight almost constantly," Gale added. Flutter-tree's eyes relaxed. "That does make it odd that Heart and Soul would send you ahead on your own," Gale said after a moment.

"It was their idea, I promise," Ash said sincerely. Gale nodded in satisfaction.

Half an hour later, Zecora returned, followed by Heart and Soul. All three ponies were laden with sacks filled to capacity with bottles, jars, and plants and the twins were sharing the weight of a large cauldron. As they unloaded just outside the gate, Soul gave a quick salute and a smile to Gale and Ash, saying, "Whatever that was guarding the flowers and fortress, it lost interest once you were well out of sight Ash."

"Fortress? What fortress?" Gale asked.

"Later," Ash said with a dismissive wave, "What do you have for us Zecora, besides what looks like your entire apothecary?"

"If I am correct, then your talking metal hat should find something familiar in this," the former zebra said, sticking her tail into a sack and pulling out a large purple flower whose single cup-like petal resembled a curled heart. Gale smothered a chuckle at PC's reaction to being called a hat, and then took the flower in hoof while he scanned and analyzed it. After a few moments, the eyepiece brightened and Gale quickly read the output.

"It's a definite match," she reported, "The yellow flower is a hybrid of poison joak and this."

"Heart's Desire," Zecora said, "a local but somewhat rare flower, highly prized for its pick-me-up…"

"Power?" Soul suggested when the grey pony continued to falter.

"Thank you," Zecora said with a nod.

"Don't hurt yourself trying to force a rhyme Zecora," Heart said with concern.

"It's a habit I'm rather fond of," Zecora replied morosely.

"What exactly does Heart's Desire do?" Ash asked.

Zecora reclaimed the flower from Gale and held it aloft with her tail as she explained, "Depression, apathy, anything that saps the will to act and care, a potion made with Heart's Desire will get you back on your hooves like a second wind. If eaten raw in large amounts or improperly stewed, however, the results will be your heart's desire set… badly. It is known to cause the cutie pox, among other maladies."

"Ok, so we've got the cause pinned down," Soul said, "No what about the cure?"

"Um…," Gale said, listening to PC, "PC estimates he can calculate the ideal cure in… two days." Angel blew a loud raspberry, effectively summing up the general reaction to the announcement. Gale just shrugged apologetically.

"PC's never been the best at inventing all-new solutions anyway," Ash the dragon said dismissively.

"It might be best to research and study the Twisted Desire more," Zecora said, gesturing at the yellow flowers, "but before we do, I have one simple idea to try. Everypony take a sack and follow me; we must go to the spa. We can leave the cauldron here for now," she added as Soul started to wrap the large black cauldron in his magic.

"Yes ma'am," Soul said with relief.

* * *

><p>By the time they arrived at the spa, the group had picked up a small entourage of altered ponies who followed at a respectful distance, clearly anxious for news. Among the crowd were Twilight, Rainbow Cloud, Rari-mouse, and old-timey Trixie. Zecora acknowledged the crowd and begged their continued patience. "With luck," she said, heading inside the spa, "the cure will be as simple as combing the remedies for poison joak and overdose of Heart's Desire, the two components of this discordian plot. I will need a private bath drawn, the remedy mix for poison joak, and volunteers to cultivate these." She pulled a hoof-full of yellow seeds out of her bag and held them out. Ash took one in his claws and looked at it skeptically. "The flower that grows from these seeds of truth can counteract most cases of improperly used Heart's Desire," the zebra explained.<p>

"So why don't you have the flower itself?" Ash asked, "If you expect us to wait for these to grow, we might as well let PC run his simulations; he'll be done sooner."

"This plant grows with magical speed," Zecora said, putting a second seed into Ash's hand, "but only when a truthful confession is spoken around them while planted. Grow and bring me two; I'll save the other seeds for later in case another approach is required."

"All it takes is the truth?" Ash said with a smile, "No problem." He stepped back outside with his friends right behind him, looked around at the expectant crowd, and said, "Perhaps we should do this around back or something?"

"You have stage fright or something?" Soul said mockingly. He plucked the seeds out of Ash's claw with his magic and dug out a couple of shallow holes to bury them in. "Anypony have something they want to get off their chests in the name of trying to find a cure?" he asked the gathered mish-mash of mutants. Hooves shuffled and glances were exchanged, but nopony stepped forward.

"I've got something," Gale said, approaching the mounds of dirt, "Something I've been holding on to since our first day in this world." She gave her fellow Order-naries a meaningful glance, and then looked down at the buried seeds and said, "My real name is Carmilla deGrange." The ground stirred and two green shoots sprang up. "That's all I get for that?" the brown earth pony said in disappointment.

"They just need more encouragement," Gold Heart said, patting her friend on the back. She turned her attention to the seedlings and said, "My real name is Rachelle M'Dale." The seedlings grew taller and thicker and sprouted a few leaves.

"My name is Ray M'Dale," Soul Mage confessed, and a large bud appeared on each plant. The three out-worlders looked expectantly at their currently draconic leader.

"What?" he said, affronted, "What do I have to offer? I'm Ash, I always have been since I renounced being _Meis Thamule_, and you three know I never speak a deliberate falsehood." The flowers remained as they were.

"You never lie," Gale said, "but that doesn't prevent you from keeping secrets you don't want to tell. Surely there's _something_ you can confess to everypony here." Ash bit his lip and looked around nervously.

Soul smirked evilly. "Yeah," he said, "How about…" An ethereal blue tendril shot out from his horn, plucked Rari-mouse from her current perch on Twilight's back, and brought her over to hang in front of Ash's face. "Tell Rarity how you really feel about her."

"Put me down!" Rarity protested, "This is undignified!"

"Yeah," Ash said, "don't go dragging others into this against their will."

"Oh, I'd be quite willing to straight answer about me from you," the cultured rodent said, "I just don't appreciate being held up and tossed about like a prop." Soul blushed sheepishly and gently set Rarity down on his head. "Thank you," Rarity said primly, "Now, Ash?"

Ash screwed his eyes shut and massaged his temples, muttering under his breath. "Rarity," he said at last, "you're a wonderful pony, cultured and fashionable without being annoyingly superior about it. Ever since we first met you've insisted on seeing only the positive side of personality. I appreciate that, but I can't return the sentiment like you'd want me to. I… I just don't feel like I deserve someone as good as you." The flowers quivered and exploded into full bloom and Ash quickly snatched them up and slipped into the spa before anyone could reply.


	16. Chapter 8: Let it Rain

Following directions from Lotus, Ashen Blaze the dragon found his way to the private bath area that Zecora had booked for the experiment. The solid grey former zebra looked up from pouring a jar of the poison joak curative into the water as Ash entered the room. With a thankful smile, she took the truth-grown flowers from him, set one aside, and then with a single quick movement shoved the other bloom into Ash's mouth, pointed to the tub, and said, "Chew on that and immerse completely."

"Ish it shafe oo shwallow?" Ash asked, pointing at his mouth.

"That is how it works under normal circumstances," Zecora answered, turning to the first flower, "Doing both cures at once but separately probably won't work, but it won't hurt to try."

_Can't argue with that_, Ash thought, and that thought combined with hearing the sound of multiple hooves approaching lent speed to his climb into the tub. The soothing texture of the warm, cure-laden water made itself felt even through his scales, and the flower tasted like the best parts of both summer and winter simultaneously as he chewed it up. Altogether, it was an experience that bordered on blissful, but when Ash had swallowed the flower and come up for air, he was still a grey and red dragon, and Zecora was no longer the only pony in the room with him. He took in the smugness on Gale's face, the concern of Soul Mage and Gold Heart, and the suppressed but intense sparkle in the eyes of the Rari-mouse on Heart's head, and returned the lot with simmering glower. "Zecora," he said, "What's the next plan?"

Zecora didn't reply, busy as she was grinding up the truth-bloom with mortar and pestle. Once the flower was broken up to her satisfaction, she poured it into a larger bowl along with another jar of joak cure. Her tail fished a seed of truth out of a bag and flicked it into the air, where Soul caught it in his magic. "Prepare another flower, just in case," she instructed. Soul went to the door and passed the seed and the instruction onto somepony waiting out in the hallway, who took the seed in a magenta bubble of magic. "Now," Zecora said, having mixed the powered plants together, "I've never seen a truth seed flower used as a component in a mixture or potion, but hopefully the essence of its power still remains if freshly ground."

"Well, give it here then," Ash said. He leaned out of the tub, grabbed the bowl, and dunked it into the water. The mixture gave off a large puff of smoke as soon as it hit the water, obscuring Ash completely and causing everyone else to take several panicked steps back. Coughing, Ash waved a hoof to try and clear away the smoke, and then stopped when he realized that he was waving a hoof instead of a clawed hand. He quickly felt himself over, finding ash-grey fur, a red and orange mane currently too wet to resemble flames, and a unicorn horn. "Zecora," he said as the smoke faded, "I think you've done it." He hopped out of the tub and levitated a towel over to start drying off, but his good mood faded as he rubbed the towel across his neck and realized something. "Where's the AEM?" he asked.

"The what?" Heart asked.

"My necklace," Ash clarified, throwing the towel aside, "My power enhancer, the Artificial Element of Magic, the one thing that lets me do any decent amount of magic in this pony world! Agh, it must have fallen off when I was sneezing my head off and transforming. It's in the Everfree somewhere. We have to go get it."

"Whoa there," Gale said, interposing herself between Ash and the door, holding him back as he tried to run out, "no need to panic. Rarity can make you a replacement. I know she'd be more than happy to," she finished with a sly smirk.

"Truth," Ash admitted, "but I can't risk leaving mine unaccounted for. Can't let him find it." He shoved Gale aside and ran out the door.

"He's lost more than that necklace," Gale muttered as she picked herself up off the floor, "I'll go after him."

"We'll all go," Heart said, setting Rarity on the rim of the tub before heading for the door herself, "We might have to stop him by force."

* * *

><p>As such things tend to do in a crisis, word that a solution for the mass transformation of Ponyville's citizenry was being worked on at the spa spread quickly through the town and practically every afflicted pony capable of voluntary movement and the ability to stay in one place for an appreciable amount of time had gathered around the building, trading gossip and speculation to ward off fear and impatience as they waited. Even Trixie's troupe, all still within the privacy of the wagon except for Trixie herself, were near enough to hear any announcements that would be made. With so many ponies around, it hadn't been hard for Twilight to find enough willing "confessions" – cutie mark stories for the most part – to coax the seed of truth Soul had given her to full maturity, and she was in the process of taking the flower to Zecora when a damp ash-grey unicorn with a red and orange mane and tail, which were quickly drying and flaring out into their distinctive fire-like appearance, came bolting out of the spa and weaving through the crowd like the hounds of Tartarus were after him. Gale, Heart, and Soul emerged soon after, and from the looks on their faces it was obvious that they were the metaphorical hounds in question. Ash zoomed by before Twilight could process what was going on, but as the other three Order-naries passed by she brought Heart to a stop with a gentle magic tug on the tail. "What's going on?" Twilight asked.<p>

"Ash is just having one of his stubborn moments," Heart said, rolling her eyes, "and by the way, Zecora figured the cure out. Now, if you'll excuse me."

"They have the cure?" a nearby pony exclaimed as Heart took flight to catch up with her team. The news spread like fire through the crowd, and within seconds everypony was charging at the spa.

"Stop!" Zecora, in all her striped, exotic zebra glory appeared in the spa doorway, facing the oncoming tide of bodies fearlessly. "Curb your enthusiasm friends," she shouted, "or this press may lead to untimely ends." Reacting more to her sudden blocking of the entrance than to her words, the ponies at front of the charge came to a stop and dug in their hooves, where applicable, as the rest of the crowd piled up behind them in a great heap of forms. Overhead, Rainbow Dash and a squad of her fellow cloud-form pegasi found themselves squishing together from the momentum, and there was a brief frenzy of activity as they tried to separate.

Rainbow was the first to fully extract herself from the mess, and she floated down to confront Zecora. "Don't hold out on us," she said, practically begging, "What's the cure? How do we get back to normal?"

"The base lies in the cure for the pranking flowers of azure," Zecora explained, walking out into the crowd, which parted to make way, until she found Twilight and claimed the truth-born flower from her. She held it aloft for Rainbow Dash to see and added, "But this must be added for a much-needed kick, for this new flower twists inner desires as its cruel trick."

"A bath?" Rainbow asked. She look behind her to the other cloud-ponies, who had untangled themselves and were currently putting distance between each other, and then leveled a skeptical look at Zecora. "Is that going to work out for everypony?" she asked, "Some of us aren't exactly solid."

"And what about those ponies who were turned into plants?" Twilight asked, "Especially Fluttershy; she's a full-grown tree."

"Not to mention others who can't be moved, or hold still for very long," Bon Bon added.

"The final solution is something I do not know," Zecora said, "We'll have to continue making it up as we go. There is at least one thing we will certainly need: many more flowers grown from truth seeds." She dropped a small bag full of the seeds at Twilight's hooves.

"Well, I reckon we've got enough ponies round here ta make short work of that," Applejack said wryly.

"Rainbow Dash, if you would come with me," Zecora said, "we can see if the cure will work for thee." Rainbow hesitated for a second as the zebra turned to head back into the spa, but on seeing the challenging tilt of AJ's head in her direction, she mustered her bravado and floated after Zecora.

"Sure, no sweat, what's the worst that could happen?" she said, mostly to herself. As they made their way to the private bathing room they crossed paths with Rarity, who was now back to normal and wearing a bathrobe and her mane wrapped up in a towel.

"Ah, you may want to change out the water," she said, waving a hoof toward the private room, "It turned rather murky and unpleasant-smelling after it was done changing me back."

"My thanks for the warning Rarity," Zecora said, "So, it seems that dose was only strong enough for three." Rarity nodded and continued on her way, as did Zecora and Rainbow. As they entered the room, the zebra's nose curled as she caught a faint stench of spoiled food coming from the tub. "Rainbow Dash, if would be so kind, drain the tub while I work, to save some time."

"Yeah," Dash said hesitantly, staying by the door, "I can't exactly hold or move solid things, and I'm a bit leery of touching water like this. I'm afraid I'll either suck it up like a sponge and get fat or get pulled into it and…" Her wings shivered.

Zecora nodded slowly as she considered the cloud-pony's words while grinding up the truth flower. "Those concerns seem quite fair," she said at last, "since you are mostly water and air."

"Water, air, eyes and wings," Rainbow replied dourly, but then she perked up as a thought came to her. "What do you think would happen if I were to, uh 'eat' some of that cure mix?"

Zecora smirked as she mixed the ground-up truth flower with some poison joak cure. "If that is something you wish to test, then by all means be my guest," she said. She beckoned Rainbow over and sprinkled a little of the mixture on her head. Dash winced slightly at the sensation of the particles falling through her and gave herself a firm shake to try and keep them inside. She and Zecora waited expectantly for several seconds, but when nothing happened the zebra reached up to sprinkle a little more.

"Come on," Dash grumbled, shaking as best she could, "work, dang you, work!" Frustrated, she sent herself into a tight spin, and then with a burst of smoke her cloud body was replaced by normal cyan-furred flesh and blood. Caught off guard by her sudden increase in weight, Rainbow fell to the floor with a grunt, and then proceeded to cough up a wet mass of ground-up herbs and flowers. "Ugh," she moaned, "That wasn't fun… Did it work?" She looked and felt herself over, and then leaped into the air with a whoop and posed triumphantly. "Fillies and gentlecolts, Rainbow Dash is back!" she declared.

Zecora chuckled. "When you are through with the 'yahoos'," she said, "You should probably go give the others the news."

"Right," Rainbow said, sobering, "you keep mixing up the cure, I'll send in the other cloud-pegasi."

"If there are new flowers of truth," Zecora called as the pegasus flew out of the room, "send them in here too."

When Rainbow Dash stepped out of the spa she saw that the crowd of transformed ponies had been organized into a line leading around to the back of the building. She followed it to find Twilight and Applejack at the head, maintaining a sort of assembly-line "confession circle" to grow truth flowers, with each pony in the line taking a turn to state some sort of truth about themselves to the seeds and sprouts and then trotting away to go to the end of the line while Twilight harvested any flowers that reached maturity. There were about six or seven full-grown flowers already set aside. AJ looked up as Rainbow approached and gave her a wave. "Lookin' good there RD," she said, "Looks like Zecora got you fixed up proper."

"Yep," Dash said proudly, striking a pose, "Now listen up everypony: I need every pegasus who's been turned into a cloud to go inside so Zecora can fix you up. Oh, and we'll probably be needing more of these too." She dived down to grab the mature flowers, but her ascent was stopped by AJ grabbing her tail.

"Hold up there," the squat earth pony said, "Give me a good reason why the pegasi should get first dibs on this cure." A murmuring chorus of assent rose up from the line.

"Uh," Rainbow said, looking around wildly as she tried to think fast. Her eyes fell on the mess of clouds clogging the sky overhead and a light-bulb went off in her head. "Because," she said with confidence, "I've got an idea for getting the cure to everypony at once, but I'm going to need as many pegasi as I can get to pull it off." A nearby truth sprout quivered and developed a bud.

Twilight and Applejack shared a glance, and then the lavender unicorn looked up at the overcast sky and smiled. "I think I know what you're thinking Rainbow," she said, "Go for it."

* * *

><p>Ashen Blaze led his friends on a rough chase through Ponyville, matching wits all along the way. Due to their long experience with one another and the trust held between them, the Order-naries had an almost perfect knowledge of one another's weaknesses and how to exploit them should the situation demand it. By the same token, however, they also knew how to make such exploitation a difficult task. Gold Heart, empowered by a spirit link to Soul Mage, attempted to fly ahead of Ash and block his path, only for Ash to give her a telekinetic push or tug on a wing to upset her balance and slow her down. Soul occasionally diverted some of his power from the link into a lasso, which Ash would manage to teleport away from at the last second. Gale, simultaneously blessing the natural speed and endurance of her earth pony form while cursing her lack of Magebane and the means to propel it at Ash, simply focused on closing the distance between herself and the ash-grey unicorn.<p>

Eventually, as the chase neared the end of Mane Street and the Everfree Forest came into view, luck finally smiled on the pursuers. Heart shook off Ash's latest attempt to trip her up and landed square in his path, wings spread and legs braced to leap left or right if he tried to dodge around her. Suspecting that but not having enough time to warm up a teleport spell, Ash attempted to hurdle over the golden-yellow pegasus. This move bought him into contact with the ethereal blue tendril linking Heart and Soul, and with a simple thought Soul severed the link and wrapped the energy around Ash's waist. Heart rolled to the side as Ash's momentum was halted in mid-air and he crashed to the ground, where he was quickly dog-piled by Gale and Heart.

"Ok…" Gale said, breathing heavily, "Ash… I ask this not in anger or annoyance… but in genuine concern for you: what is wrong with you?"

"My necklace is lost in the woods," Ash began, only to be silence by a tap on the head.

"It's a tool," Gale said, "It can be replaced. You can't avoid Rarity forever anyway."

"This is not about that…" Ash sputtered, "Can't you ever give it a rest? Rarity's crush on me isn't the issue here."

"No, it isn't," Heart said. She climbed off of Ash and then laid down in front of him, looking straight at him but not quite meeting his eyes out of habit. "She's part of the issue though," she said with fond concern, "You've been growing more distant lately Ash, and I don't think it's all due to Discord. You're still letting guilt over your past eat at you, aren't you? Shadowstar is still on your mind; you're angry with yourself for not being able to work up the courage to go back and face your past head-on before it was too late." Ash's face hardened and turned away from Heart, but she just reached out a hoof and pressed it gently to his cheek. "I understand," she said, "we all lost… almost everything to Tau'rin. You lost an opportunity, but you're still alive, and in a world where your past matters even less than it did on Taryn."

"Not to mention the Shadowstar Empire probably got ripped apart like the rest of the universe," Soul added drolly.

Heart gave her brother a dubious look and then focused back on Ash to see him grimacing and covering his eyes with his hooves. "Ash? Are you ok?" she asked, worried.

"_Skvetch_," the unicorn muttered through clenched teeth, "_Nicht goh, gi foso nicht goh, vei _Discord… _skvetchte vet'chiu_."

"Don't try to hide behind another language Ash," Gale said, pressing an elbow into Ash's back, "Tell us what's bugging you; we can help."

"Don't ask," Ash pleaded, "Could just be another of Discord's jokes, I don't know. You three have adjusted, moved on. You're happy here and I don't want to risk dragging you from it with doubt…"

"What are you talking about?" Soul asked, "You've got me curious now, so don't think I'm going to just drop it. What's Discord been taunting you with now? The idea that Taryn still exists and that we could go home?" He gave a short sarcastic laugh, but when he saw Ash go limp and his irises start to shrink down, he grew serious. "That's it, isn't it?" Soul said, "Did he actually convince you of that?"

"No," Ash said, "and that's the problem: I'm not sure! He'd easily lie just for a laugh, but he sounded so confident and knowledgeable when talking about Tau'rin. The blasted, _skvetchte_ beast is on my mind even when he's not doing anything!"

"Ok, ok, calm down Ash," Gale said, finally getting off of him. She pulled him to his feet and took his face in her hooves, staring intently but not meeting his eyes. "Fact or fiction, we can deal with his Taryn riddle. More importantly, we need to put an end to his games once and for all. If we find him and shut him down completely, will that put your mind at ease?"

"It will help," Ash said weakly.

"Good," Gale said, releasing him and clapping him on the shoulder, "No one's allowed to cast doubt at you but the three of us. Come on." She started trotting away into town.

"Uh Gale," Ash said, pointing uncertainly in the other direction, "Discord's in the Everfree. In fact, I have a suspicion I know exactly where to look."

"Not yet," Gale said firmly, "You need some time to cool down. Also, we should probably bring the Elements of Harmony with us as back-up, which means waiting until they're all back to normal and rested up. I'm also feeling a bit hungry." A shadow fell over the group and they looked up to see Rainbow Dash flying by pushing an oddly-colored cloud in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage. "Weather might be a bit iffy on top of everything else," Gale said.

* * *

><p>The cloud Rainbow Dash was moving around had been carefully seeded with the joak remedy and truth flower mixture, and upon getting it to Fluttershy's yard she proceeded to bounce on it to unload its contents onto the pony-turned-tree and the disproportionately bulked-up critters gathered around her. It took a few minutes, but soon a thin puff of smoke curled around the edge of the cloud and Rainbow peered down to see a soaked but ecstatic butter-yellow pegasus pulling her legs out of the dirt and cleaning them off with Angel's help. Rainbow left the cloud and swooped down to catch Fluttershy up in a celebratory hug, and then gave her a quick run-down of the plan to fix all of Ponyville before zooming off to tell the weather patrol to get busy. Fluttershy looked at the clouds hanging over the town, and then at the giant hole in her house where the roof and wall of her bedroom used to be. "Come on everyone," she said to her animal friends, "We have a lot of work to do."<p>

Back in town, Rainbow quickly organized her pegasi into two teams. The first team's task was to organize the haphazard clouds into a proper rainstorm configuration and find or make new clouds to patch the inevitable holes. The second team collected sacks of the remedy mix being prepared by Zecora and a team of assistants and sprinkled them onto the clouds, tinting them a sepia color as the herbs mixed with the suspended rain in the clouds. Once everything was ready, the pegasi would initiate a town-wide rainfall reaching from the farthest corner of Sweet Apple Acres to edge of White Tail Wood and the boundaries of the Everfree and Froggy Bottom Bog, creating a curative shower that would restore every pony or other creature affected by the Twisted Desire who stayed outside long enough.

Some ponies didn't wait for the rain however. Applejack took advantage of the cure in a bath as soon as she could and then rushed home and returned with Apple Bloom in tow to put an end to the filly's ever-changing Cutie Pox. With some effort and frustrated pantomime Trixie reminded Twilight that Cabbage Patch did not want to be seen as a half-changeling, and so they appropriated another dose of the cure and ended up curing the entire performance troupe inside the wagon using the sea-pony tank Barnacle Salt was floating in. When it was Cabbage's turn, she stubbornly kept herself completely swathed in rags even as she entered the water, which led to Trixie having to help her free herself from the soaked and heavy cloth after the cure did its job.

By mid-afternoon the rainclouds were in place and seeded. With arguably excessive ceremony, Rainbow Dash gave the order to turn on the waterworks from a perch on top of Town Hall. On top of the clouds, pegasi made a single perfectly coordinated hop and the cure began raining down upon Ponyville. In a café somewhere, four friends and soldiers of order watched the rain begin and raised their glasses to another crisis averted.

**End of Act II**


	17. Act III: Ch 1: Desertion and Disdain

Certain witty jesters among Equestria's population would have taken one look at the storm that broke over the forest near sundown on the Day of Twisted Desire and quipped that the stubbornly weird and willfully wild woods were feeling left out of the cleansing rain over Ponyville. The pony most likely to have made such a joke, namely Soul Mage, was rather disinclined to do so due to the circumstances he and the Order-naries were in at the time. After the Twisted Desire issue had been sorted out, the Order-naries had spent the remainder of the day helping with a little clean-up around town, celebrating, and making arrangements for the six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony to accompany them into the Everfree the next day to hunt down Discord and fix the weakening seal on him once and for all. After their business was concluded, the four out-worlders made their leave by way of Ashen Blaze's transport spell, with the intention of returning to Canterlot to report to the Princesses and rest up for the next day. However, in the middle of casting his spell, Ash's eyes had gone blank and he warped the group deep into the Everfree Forest and then began running even deeper at a shambling run, seemingly deaf to the demands for explanation of cries of worry from Gale and Gold Heart respectively. The storm had broken as Gale, Heart, and Soul began chasing down their errant leader.

"This is great," Soul muttered as the rain began to make the growing darkness of night even harder to see through and literally muddied up the path. He lit up his horn to try and fight back the darkness and then cast a lasso of spirit magic toward Ash, but the ash-grey unicorn stumbled over a fallen log at the last moment and vanished into the undergrowth. The others sped up and hurtled over the log and then began casting about for signs of Ash.

"I found tracks," Gale reported after a moment, pointing in the direction they led and then taking the lead as the hunt resumed.

"I hope he's ok," Heart said, "What could Discord want with him now?"

"We're sure this is Discord's fault?" Gale asked.

"Did you see Ash's eyes?" Soul said curtly, "He's nowhere near his right state of mind."

"I still find it hard to believe that Ash the Indomitable has been mind-controlled," Gale said suspiciously, but when a painful cry and the sounds of a scuffle rose up ahead the group, she was the first to break into a gallop. The sounds faded as the group came to a clearing that was on its way to turning into one giant mud puddle. Soul cast his light forward, revealing the figure of an ash-grey pony with a wild red and orange mane in the trees across the clearing. "Ash!" Gale cried as she and the twins began to charge across the open space. They'd made it less than halfway across when the ground under their hooves suddenly gave way, sending them all sprawling into knee-deep mud that clung to them and tried to drag them deeper into it.

"Ash," Soul cried out, "help!" He tried to reach out with his magic, but an invisible force wrapped around his throat and choked him until his concentration broke and he nearly blacked out.

"I'm sorry friends," the figure in the shadows said in a perfect facsimile of Ash's voice, stepping out to the edge of the sinkhole, his eyes closed, "Ash isn't here anymore."

"Who are you?" Gale demanded, struggling valiantly against the mud.

"Depending on how a little experiment of mine goes," the thing said, "I might be the last thing you three ever see." He opened his eyes, which glowed wickedly green, and then proceeded to pull the air away from the Order-naries. The last thing they heard before they blacked out was "Sleep."

* * *

><p>Fluttershy was wet, sore, and more than ready to just lay down and go to sleep. From the moment she'd been changed back from a tree into a pony she'd been racing around trying to catch up on all the care her animal tenants still needed while trying to deal with the fact that her bedroom was in shambles from Twilight transplanting her that morning. The room had not only been fully exposed to the looming rainclouds, but thanks to Fluttershy taking root in the floor as a tree there was also a gaping hole in the den ceiling. Ultimately, Fluttershy had removed what she could from the bedroom, covered the hole with a tarp and resigned herself to dealing with any water damage at a later date, preferably at the same time she got the roof fixed. But now, at last, the day was ending, everyone had been fed, the rain wasn't dripping into the house and was making a comforting drumming sound on the roof (there had been some thunder earlier from the Everfree's storm, but nothing to be concerned over), and all Fluttershy wanted to do was take a bath and fall asleep on her couch. Before indulging herself, however, had to make sure all her little houseguests were comfortable and accounted for.<p>

Her mane wrapped up in a towel to keep the rainwater in it from dripping on the floor, she made her way around the den checking on each birdhouse, squirrel den, and mouse hole, bidding a good night to their occupants by name and coaxing the critters who were still moving about into the empty ones. After a cycle, she stopped at the couch and frowned slightly, finding her count to be slightly off. "That's curious," she said in a low tone, "who's missing?" She circled the room a second time, quickly listing off animals as she passed by their sleeping areas, came back to the couch, and then smiled and rolled her eyes. "Angel Bunny," she exclaimed quietly, "Where'd he wander off to?" From the lack of response, nothing in the room seemed to know. "Maybe he's drawing my bath for me," Fluttershy suggested to herself as she headed up the stairs, "He's been such a considerate little bunny lately, I should do something extra nice for him. Maybe make a little hat for him, or try to get _everything_ for that big salad he keeps requesting or…" she trailed off as she reached the bathroom and found it empty and as clean as could be expected considering the recent chaos. She went back downstairs and checked in the kitchen, under all her tables, and even inside the coat closet without finding even a hair of the white rabbit. "Oh dear," Fluttershy said, worried, "Where is he? He always stays inside during rain unless he's mad at me. Did I do something to upset him? I don't think so, but I should apologize anyway. Once I find him that is. Sorry," she concluded in a whisper as a few squirrels poked their heads out to glare at her for making too much noise. She dug back into the coat closet for an umbrella saddle in preparation to check Angel's hutch in the yard, but as she started to slip into it, the top half of her front door was flung open and a white lump flew in, landing hard on the floor and uncurling into the form of a badly beaten Angel. Fluttershy gasped and went to bundle him into her front legs, but stopped herself when she saw that his back legs had been broken, on top of a black eye, numerous bleeding wounds, and an ear that had been nearly torn to shreds. He was delirious with pain, but seemed to recognize Fluttershy as she hovered over him, his eyes pleading for help.

"Hold on Angel," the pegasus said, fighting down her panic to focus solely on healing him. She rushed away and returned with her medical supplies and wash cloths in record breaking time and then set to work cleaning and bandaging Angel's wounds. She wrapped his torn ear completely in bandages and a splint, although she wasn't sure if it would ever heal properly, and then turned her attention to the broken legs. The pain he felt as Fluttershy felt out the extent of the damage snapped the bunny out of his delirium for a moment and he did his best to put on a brave face. "Your left leg has one simple break," Fluttershy explained soothingly when she saw he was coherent, "but the right one's broken in at least three. I'm going to set the bones now; are you ready?" Angel nodded and braced himself, letting out sharp squeaks of pain as Fluttershy pulled and twisted his legs into their proper orientation. As Fluttershy splinted the breaks, she asked, "What in Equestria did this to you? Are the outdoor animals ok?" Angel just pointed to the door, a look of pain and fright on his normally kind and confident face. "Oh my. Oh dear…" She tied off the last splint and stood up, gazing at the open door and the dark, rain-obscured yard beyond. She walked up to the door, stuck her head outside, and looked around with trepidation. Her natural timidity warred with her protective instinct, but the latter eventually won enough ground for her to open the lower half of the door and step outside. "H-hello?" she called out weakly, "E-excuse me, uh, whatever's out here, would you… no." She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. "You hurt somepony very important to me," she said in a slightly stronger voice, "So come explain yourself and apologize!" She flinched as a deep, slow laugh came out of the darkness.

A pair of orange lights appeared in the distance, near Fluttershy's chicken coop and from the same direction a voice said, "Ah Fluttershy, the motherly she-wolf in the body of a weak and timid little pony. I must admit your little pet surprised me; I've never met a rabbit with such tenacity."

"Who are you?" Fluttershy asked, "Why did you hurt Angel?"

"He was in my way," the voice said, "he's lucky I'm not here for him, or I would have done much worse to him. I have to admit though, he proved rather useful. What better to lure out the beast buried in Kindness than a malicious and undeserved beating?"

A wave of cold rippled through Fluttershy, driving out the last of her fear and leaving only righteous indignation coursing through her veins and freezing her eyes into the dreaded Stare. "You… horrible creature," she growled, kicking at the dirt in preparation to charge, "You don't harm innocent little creatures, do you hear me? _Apologize!_" With a furious snort, she charged toward the lights. As she drew closer, she saw that the lights were actually the eyes of a unicorn wrapped in shadows and she faltered for a split second as fear started to creep back into her thoughts. The unicorn tilted his head to the side nonchalantly and Fluttershy was suddenly hoisted off the ground with her wings pinned to her side, the momentum she'd built up continuing to carry her forward. The magic glow of the unicorn's horn was dimly visible through his shadowy disguise as he brought her to a stop in front of him. He smiled and his eyes changed color from orange to a deep blue as cold as his smile. Fluttershy's resolve was shaken by the transition, letting terror return to her in full force.

"As I thought," the unicorn said, "an easy victory. Discord took the wrong approach with you, appealing to a pride that's almost nonexistent. I could break you, but I don't have the time and I can't risk you making a surprising escape to warn the others, so I'm afraid you'll have to go." Fluttershy could only whimper as the unicorn's horn grew brighter, cutting through the shadows and gradually revealing his features. The yellow pegasus saw ash-grey fur and locks of fiery red and orange before a sharp thunderous crack drew her gaze involuntarily upwards. High in the air above the chicken enclosure was a jagged hole, blacker than anything Fluttershy had ever seen and rimmed in an eldritch blue glow. "Hm," the unicorn said, flecks of yellow appearing in his eyes, "Higher than I thought. Ah well, in you go Fluttershy." Fluttershy struggled helplessly as the magic bound her tighter and she began floating up toward the hole. She managed to get enough air in her lungs to let out one small shriek before she crossed the threshold of darkness and the hole snapped shut with another clap of thunder. "That makes four," the unicorn said, eyes shifting to green.

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash tossed and turned in her bed, unable to find a comfortable position, which was exceptionally frustrating considering her penchant for napping on tree branches. Something was gnawing at the corner of her mind, a feeling that something wasn't quite right with her world all of a sudden. Grumbling, she kicked off the covers and rolled onto her back, staring up at the clouds forming the ceiling of her bedroom as she tried to locate the reason for her anxiety. She was absolutely positive that Zecora's cure had removed all traces of cloud-ness from her body, making her one hundred percent flesh, blood, bone, wicked awesome speed, and awe-inspiring agility. The plan to rain cure-laden water upon Ponyville had gone off perfectly, as had the follow-up rainstorm that was now currently washing away the disgusting smell of the used-up cure mixture. A wild rainstorm had broken over the Everfree around the same time as the second storm had been started, but Cloud Kicker had claimed it was nothing to worry about. "Probably just part of the forest trying to straighten itself out after the crazy winds yesterday," she had said. A trio of pegasi had kept an eye on the wild clouds for a bit and hadn't noticed anything odd about them.<p>

_But considering all the craziness that's come out of those woods lately…_ Rainbow thought, and then sat up and blinked in realization. _Is that it?_ she wondered, _Yeah, I just don't trust that crazy place to keep to itself while Discord's pulling strings. The sooner we can find him and shut him up, the better. I won't be any good to the others if I can't any sleep now though…_ Deciding to go check out the Everfree rain herself and face her doubts head-on, she climbed out her bedroom window and dove down to the ground. Just before she hit the blanket of rain clouds, which she'd moved her house above as a matter of course, her wings snapped open and she pulled up into a glide heading toward the Everfree Forest.

In most cases when a scheduled rain shower in town happened to coincide with rain in the Everfree forest, the two fronts were allowed to mingle along the boundaries, and despite Rainbow's misgivings tonight was no exception. Although the edges of the clouds merged together, Rainbow's trained eye was able to discern where tame, pony-made clouds ended and wild, origin-unknown clouds began. She landed near the border and began walking slowly along it, eyeing the Everfree clouds like a drill sergeant sizing up new recruits, looking for any signs of nonconformity or insubordination. Eventually, she was forced to admit that nothing was out of the ordinary and, with a sense of relief, she turned around to head home. Just as she spread her wings for take-off, however, she heard a small, familiar shriek from below. "Fluttershy?" Rainbow inquired. She quickly made a hole in the clouds and stuck her head through it in time to see Fluttershy struggling against invisible bonds as she was swallowed up into a hold in the air. The hole closed with a bang that left Rainbow's ears ringing, and then she saw a dark figure on the ground looking up at the spot where Fluttershy had vanished, it eyes glowing green with malicious satisfaction. Without a second thought, Rainbow widened the hole in the clouds and dove through it, swooping down to tackle the figure, sending them both tumbling a good three yards before sliding to a stop with the cyan pegasus on top and fuming with anger. "What did you do to Fluttershy?" she demanded, front hooves putting light but threatening pressure on the other's throat. The pony stared back with glowing yellow eyes and a bewildered expression as the shadows fell away from him, causing Rainbow to gasp in disbelief as she recognized him.

"Rainbow Dash," Ashen Blaze said, his expression hardening and his eyes turning red, "How unexpected."

"What did you do to Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked, angry and confused, "Bring her back!"

"That won't be possible," Ash said, horn flaring as he kicked Rainbow off, the magic launching her skyward, "You'll likely be joining her soon anyway." Rainbow recovered control and hung in a stupefied hover for a second before shooting up above the clouds.

_What's going on?_ she thought frantically, _Fluttershy… Why would Ash..? Or is it Discord? Either way, I better get help._ She started to wing her way toward Sugar Cube Corner, the closest of her friends's homes, but stopped short as a black, winged equine shape burst up through the clouds and blocked her path, his eyes blue-green and amused.

"Ah ah ah," Ash said chidingly, "Did I say you could leave?"

"What… how?" Dash exclaimed, "You're a unicorn! You can't fly!"

"Not a unicorn," Ash replied with a slow shake of his head, "Have you forgotten? I'm not of this world." He landed on the cloud and walked slowly toward the cyan pegasus, who backed away under the influence of some inexplicable fear. "Rainbow Dash, loyal but cocky, brash, and quick to act," the winged unicorn said, "Discord hardly had to try with you; just a little confusing double-talk and he had you. I'll give it to you straight: change your loyalties and give them to me, and I promise you greatness. Everypony will know and adore you, the great Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow stared in silence at him for a moment, and then rolled her eyes. "You must be kidding," she scoffed, "Nightmare Moon tried that one on me, and she did it _better_." She reared back and then charged the ash-grey pony.

"Well, now that the formalities are over," Ash said with a casual shrug. His horn lit up, and with a wave of his hoof he formed the clouds into a giant hand that grabbed Rainbow and stopped her short.

"Wha… seriously?" Dash said incredulously, "You're trying to hold a _pegasus_ with a _cloud_?" Lashing out in all directions with her legs and wings, she broke the hand apart and then made to charge at Ash again.

"Point," Ash said, nodding, and then met Rainbow's charge by grabbing one of her outstretched legs and throwing her past him into an off-balance landing on the clouds. "How about something more elemental?" he asked. A spark jumped off his horn and snaked through the clouds toward Rainbow, growing in power as it went until it reached her and exploded into lightning. The pegasus's face contorted into a silent scream as the lightning struck again, and then she collapsed into a heap. "You'd put up a good fight, if I let you," Ash said, eyes turning red as he levitated her over to him and started clearing away the clouds nearby. He held Rainbow over the hole as his horn flared brightly and the hole in reality split open again below. "To be honest," he said, "It's good you didn't accept my offer. There's nothing less trustworthy than a turn-coat after all. Ta-ta." He released Rainbow Dash, who fell helplessly into the blue-rimmed void.


	18. Chapter 2: Despair

Maggie Pie's dreams were interrupted by an uncomfortable pressure on her nose. She opened her eyes and met the gaze of a pair of vacant purple reptilian eyes attached to the small crocodilian that was doing a balancing act with its toothless jaws around her snout. "Eeeeek!" she shrieked, leaping up and landing stiff-legged and upright on the bed, "Pinkamena! Your pet's trying to eat me!" Gummy blinked his lazy asynchronous blink and then leapt up to latch onto the grey pony's mane.

"Oh, so that's where he got off to," Pinkie said, sticking her head into the guest room, and then giggled at the flat stare her sister directed at her. "Don't worry Maggie," she said, trotting nonchalantly into the room, "He doesn't have any teeth, remember? He's just playing." She reached out to take Gummy and the gator obliged by chomping onto her fetlock. Pinkie giggled as she flipped Gummy onto her back and trotted out the door, saying, "Let's you get you some food little guy."

"I'm surprised the Cakes still let you keep him around," Maggie said, following, "Especially now that they have the twins, I'd think they'd be more worried."

"What are you talking about Maggie?" Pinkie asked, "Mr. and Mrs. Cake love Gummy! I do have to keep an eye on him around Pound though, especially when he's living up to his name." Maggie paused to puzzle that sentence out, and then rolled her eyes and caught up with Pinkie as she climbed up to her apartment and set Gummy down in front of a small bag of some unidentifiable stuff, which the gator promptly stuck his snout into and went into a stupor. Pinkie gave him one last pat on the head and then hopped off downstairs. Maggie followed her sister, but kept a suspicious eye on the tiny, oblivious reptile until she reached the hallway.

The ground floor of Sugar Cube Corner was filled with the usual hubbub of activity characteristic of a bakery owned and operated by a married couple with twin foals still in diapers. The maternal Cake was juggling feeding said twins with clearing out the remains of yesterday's stock and refilling the displays with fresh items from the kitchen. She broke her rhythm just long enough to smile warmly at the Pie sisters. "Good morning dears," she said, moving to intercept Pumpkin Cake's attempt to turn her food into a projectile, "There's a coffee cake set aside in the kitchen, but you might want to hurry before Carrot eats it all."

"Thanks Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie beamed, sliding effortlessly past her and through the kitchen doors. Maggie simply nodded in a silent echo of her sister and waited until she had a clear path before following. As she entered the kitchen, she was greeted by a large piece of coffee cake on a plate balanced on a pink hoof, and beyond it another scene of organized chaos, this one under the control of Mr. Cake. "Morning Mr. Cake," Pinkie said, having already eaten her share of breakfast, "Need help with anything? We've got two full sets of hooves here ready to mix, carry, glaze, frost, carry, taste-test…"

"Actually-" Maggie started to say, but Pinkie continued to rattle on until Mr. Cake cut her off.

"You can keep an eye on the ovens for starters," he said, "That'll free me up to check the inventory and the order schedule. Perhaps you could help with that Maggie?"

"Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie chirped.

"Actually," Maggie said, scuffing the floor with a hoof, "I was planning on a getting a proper start on my little search. With everything that happened yesterday…"

"Oh, well that's ok," Mr. Cake said, slightly distracted as he poked his head into the pantry, "Do you know where you want to start? If you don't, I bet the Apples might welcome a financial planner. Or… you know, whatever exactly it is you do."

"Oh," Pinkie said, her ears perking up in epiphany, "You know who could _really_ use help finding success? Trixie!"

"That traveling performer?" the light-grey pony asked, "She and her group seemed to be doing well enough, considering recent events and her history."

"That's just the problem though," Pinkie said, "She needs all the-" she froze up suddenly as her tail began twitching. "Twitchy tail!" she yelped, and all movement in the bakery came to a standstill, eyes scanning the high shelves and items hanging from hooks.

"Pinkamena," Maggie said slowly, "Perhaps we should go elsewhere so it doesn't ruin anything here?"

"Good plan," Pinkie agreed. The one truly reliable thing about the Pinkie Sense, in her experience at least, was that whatever triggered the twitch always happened where she could witness it. Grabbing Maggie by the leg, she ran out the back door and out into the street, where they were promptly doused with a small cloud's worth of water. Pinkie's tail stopped twitching and she brushed her sodden mane out of her face as she looked up to see a surprised Raindrops and an embarrassed Ditzy Doo hovering overhead with the wispy, rapidly vanishing remains of a cloud between them.

"Oh no, I'm sorry. My bad," Ditzy said, looking between Raindrops and the Pies, "I didn't know you were pushing that cloud Raindrops!"

"What..?" Maggie stammered, bewildered by the sudden wetness of her body.

Raindrops sighed. "The cloud burst from being pushed on one side and kicked on the other."

"Sorry," Ditzy said glumly.

"Aw, don't worry," Pinkie called up to her, "There's a lot worse that could've set my tail a'twitching, and it's not twitching anymore."

"Oh…" Ditzy didn't appear very relieved, perhaps due in part to the emotions on Maggie's face as she continued to process being soaked.

"There are still a lot of clouds," the grey earth pony said at last. It was true; the sky was thick with the remnants of the previous night's storm, some of them still dripping.

"We're a bit understaffed up here," Raindrops explained, rolling her eyes, "A number of pegasi are claiming a sick day, and nopony's seen Rainbow Dash. Just her absence alone puts us behind schedule by nearly an hour."

"Well, that's strange," Pinkie said, "I mean, Dashie likes to sleep in, but she always takes rainstorms seriously."

"I know," Raindrops said, "Look, we'd better get back to work. Sorry about the cloudburst."

"Okie dokie, see you later!" Pinkie called out cheerfully as the pegasi flew off, and then she and Maggie went back into Sugar Cube Corner to dry off.

"Aaaanyway," she said as she rolled around in a pile of towels while Maggie wrung her mane out into the bathtub, "What were we talking about before all this? Oh, right, you and Trixie. She's an awesome stage magician and all, but after that Ursa Minor thing she can't seem to draw crowds on her own anymore."

"Well, when a town's first impression of you starts with lots of boasting and ends with you running scared from a rampaging monster…" Maggie drawled.

Pinkie popped to her hooves and shook her head, spreading water around from her still-wet mane. "No no no Maggie, it's not just here," she insisted, "She had a good thing going in Manehatten for a while, but that was only because she was working for a pony who ran a full theater. Now she's here, trying to lead a small troupe and the only times she's had a lot of success is when ponies like Twilight or Rarity lent her a hoof. And have you seen their wagon? Boring! Not very colorful or eye-catching, and nothing on it to tell you who it belongs to if you don't know! And Applejack told me she got the impression that they're always short on food and-"

"Ok, all right, I get your point Pinkamena," Maggie said wearily, "I'll have to talk with her troupe and see how they do things before I make my decision."

* * *

><p>As Maggie passed by the Carousel Boutique, alone because Pinkie had decided to run off and find where Rainbow Dash had vanished to, she couldn't help but notice the large caravan wagon parked next to the building. It was no surprise, therefore, that she found Trixie and her troupe inside the boutique with a somewhat weary-looking Rarity. The bell that announced her entrance brought whatever conversation was occurring to a brief stop as everypony turned to look, save for Cabbage Patch who simply froze in the middle of examining a scarlet ribbon. "Oh, good morning Margaret," Rarity said with a sad smile, "Were you looking for something? Because I'm afraid the Carousel Boutique won't be open for much business today."<p>

"I was looking for them actually," Maggie said, indicating the performers, and then turned her attention to Trixie and said, "I hear you've been having some financial difficulties lately, and I'd like to offer my assistance."

"And you are?" Harlequin asked.

"Margaret Pie, Maggie for short," the grey earth pony said in a charming but businesslike tone, "You're probably familiar with my sister, Pinkie." Trixie gave her a dubious look and she chuckled. "My talents lie in finances and business savvy," she said, "Up until recently I was in charge of marketing for my family's rock farm."

"A rock farm?" Barnacle Salt said, slightly incredulous, "I've seen and heard a lot in my life ma'am, but I don't think I've ever heard of farming rocks."

"It's true," Rarity said, jumping in, "It's the most glamorous of occupations, if you don't mind me saying so Margaret, but I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any semi-precious stones, cobblestone streets, or new construction that can't be traced back at least in part of the Pie Rock Farm."

"That may be all well and good," Trixie said, "but what can you do for the Great and Powerful Trixie that Rarity's sponsorship and advertising help can't provide?"

"My full undivided attention to keeping you from going broke," Maggie replied immediately, "Rarity here has her own business and life to attend to, and you can't count on her name to have quite as much clout outside of Ponyville."

"Sad but true," Rarity agreed with a dramatic sigh, and then she perked up with a huge grin on her face and leaned suggestively toward Trixie. "You should give her a chance," she said, "There's really not much that go wrong, and I _do_ have an all-day appointment at the spa that I simply cannot miss." Trixie took an uncomfortable step away from the starry-eyed unicorn and then conferred briefly with Harlequin and Barnacle.

"Very well," she said at last to Maggie, "Show Trixie what you've got."

"Wonderful!" Rarity beamed, clapping her hooves, "Now I must be going soon, so please hurry along so I can lock up."

"Aye aye," Barnacle said, "Come on Cabbage, you heard the lady." The shy sea-green pony nodded, set the ribbon she'd been holding down, and rushed over to the sea captain's side.

"All right then," Maggie said as the group left the boutique, "first of all, I'll need to take a look at your current financial strategy. Do you have a ledger or a budget plan I can look at?" She glanced around and received only blank stares in return from everypony. Heaving a sigh, she let her ears and head droop and said, "This is going to take a while."

* * *

><p>"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow <em>Daaash<em>!"

"Pinkie Pie, what are you doing up there?" Pinkie, suspended in the air near Dash's cloud-house by a multitude of balloons tied around her waist, looked down to see Twilight looking up at her with simple curiosity.

"Hi Twilight," the pink pony said, waving, "Have you seen Rainbow Dash today?"

"No," Twilight said, casting an askance glance at a nearby mud puddle, "The weather patrol hasn't seen hair nor feather of her, and its causing a lot of concern. But, you probably already knew all that," she added, eyeing Pinkie's balloons with amusement.

"Ooo, good guess," Pinkie said, looking genuinely impressed. She pulled a pea shooter out of nowhere and used it to pop balloons until she drifted down to the ground, whereupon she untied the rest and let them fly away. "Try and guess where Dashie's gone now!'

"Well, I've already looked the parts of town between the library and here," Twilight began, only to stop when Pinkie blew a raspberry.

"That's not guessing Twilight, that's deduction. Or process of elimination? Or maybe induction?"

"Pinkie," Twilight groaned, "Ok, fine. Out of all the landmarks and locations in Ponyville, I randomly guess that Rainbow Dash is at… Sweet Apple Acres."

"Hmm… that's a pretty big area," Pinkie said, "I guess that she's… at Fluttershy's house. Ok, first to find her at the place they guessed wins! Ready? One two three go!" She zipped away in a cloud of dust and a blurred line of pink that soon vanished around the corner of a building, leaving a confused and speechless Twilight behind.

After several second of blinking and mental recovery from the onslaught of Pinkie energy, Twilight shook her head, rolled her eyes, and smirked. "Well, there's no reason _not_ to check the farm," she said to herself.

* * *

><p>There was something off about Fluttershy's cottage, but Pinkie couldn't put her hoof on it. It wasn't the huge hole in the side where Fluttershy's bedroom had been, because that was obvious and Pinkie had been expecting it anyway. There was almost no animal activity in the yard, but that wasn't too unusual, and Pinkie was still pretty far off as she pondered the mystery so she could have been missing the subtle stuff. As she approached, the feeling of wrongness increased as she realized that what little movement she could make out at the cottage was all heading away from it. "What's going on?" Pinkie asked, and as if in response her knee started to feel pinchy. "Oh no," Pinkie gasped, "Something scary's about to happen to Fluttershy! I have to help her!" Breaking into a gallop, Pinkie crossed the remaining distance to the cottage and then burst through the upper portion of the front door, declaring as she landed, "Don't worry Fluttershy, I'm here to help!" She glanced around the room and caught only a glimpse of a startled-looking grey pony near the couch before something shut the door behind her and everything went dark. "Hey, what's going on?" the pink pony exclaimed. The pinchy feeling in her knee grew stronger.<p>

"Well well," a rough voice said from the darkness, "Isn't this a popular little spot all of a sudden? Perhaps this will end up taking less time than I thought. Still, I must not overestimate anything."

"What are you talking about?" Pinkie asked, straining futilely to see the source of the voice, "Who are you?"

"Can't you guess?" the voice asked tauntingly, coming from a new direction every few sentences, "Perceptive and perplexing little Pinkamena Diane Pie, noticing what others may miss. You have to stay alert though, don't you? Always on guard because you can't let anything surprise you in a way that could crack that thin shell of joy you've built around yourself." Two bright spots of blue light suddenly appeared before Pinkie, startling her into a backwards leap.

_Who is this guy?_ Pinkie thought to herself, and then another voice chimed in on her mental landscape: _He's trying to scare you Pinkie. You know what to do about that._ "Right," she whispered to herself, calming down. She took a deep breath, held it for a second, and then let loose with a barrage of laughter. The lights wavered and then faded away and Pinkie grinned in triumph, but then the light returned, framing a face that was both disturbingly familiar and utterly alien. Flat glowing blue eyes were set into an under-saturated reflection of Pinkie's own face, partly covered by a long, straight, and flat dull magenta mane and wearing a wide, vicious grin on its face. Pinkie shrieked and backed up against the wall, stuffing a hoof in her mouth as she tried to regain her composure.

"So much for giggling at the ghostly," the fake-Pinkie said in a deep, rough, masculine voice, "You think too highly of yourself Pinkie. You behave like you're the glue that holds your friends, or maybe even the entire town together. Discord played on that, didn't he? He turned the laughter against you, but yet he considered your Element to be his favorite."

"He… he was just trying to get under our skin," Pinkie protested, "He thought he could undermine the power of friendship."

"That he did," the false-Pinkie said, its eyes turning green, "and he succeeded. Not just by temporarily brainwashing you either; he left a more lasting impression – on _you._" It drew closer to Pinkie, bringing its personal spotlight with it, and tapped her on the forehead. "_Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain you guys! Chocolate. Rain!_ And as I heard it, you weren't exactly concerned about the discovery that the Elements of Harmony weren't where they were supposed to be."

"What are you implying?" Pinkie asked angrily, pushing back against her sinister double.

"Let me be clear," the other said, "Discord was sealed for millennia after the Princesses were done with him, even long after the Nightmare broke their bond. You and your friends seal him up and he's already breaking free mere _months_ later. Somepony wasn't fully committed to ending his reign; _some_pony would've been happy to live in his kind of world, had he not turned her into a grump."

"That… that's not true," Pinkie protested, but her voice grew weak even as she said it. Doubts began to fill her mind, and images of her friends hearing these accusations and turning against her, driving her out and finding a new pony to be the Element of Laughter. She started to quake with fear and her mane fell flat to match the glowing-eyed copy in front of her. "What do you want with me?" she asked.

"I could leave you broken like this," the other pony said as an ash-grey unicorn horn suddenly appeared on its forehead and its form began to shift subtly, "But there's too much risk involved there. I can't dispose of you yet though, or the sound of the rift closing will attract half the town. We'll have to wait until the night, when everyone's asleep. Until then, let's play. You like games don't you? Pin the tail on the pony sound good?"


	19. Chapter 3: Dissent

"Welp, Ah'm sorry Twilight, but it looks like Rainbow Dash isn't on the farm."

"That's ok Big Macintosh," Twilight sighed, "It was a bit of a long shot anyway." It was now well into the afternoon and Twilight was close to bone tired. While searching for the missing cyan pegasus, she'd also been roped in to helping the Apples, and the ever-eager Cutie Mark Crusaders, dig drainage ditches around the property to deal with the unexpectedly large amount of rain, something Applejack wasn't too happy about.

"Hey Twi," the farm mare said as the unicorn prepared to leave, "When ya find Rainbow, tell her I don't want ta see her round here unless she's got a good excuse fer shirking on clean-up today."

"I'll do that," Twilight said dryly, "Good luck with everything."

"Thanks," AJ said, "We'll be needing it."

Twilight left the farm and started making her way toward the library, intent on a warm bath to wash out the mud and the aches. Along the way she kept and eye and ear on the state of the town and its populous. By this point the weather patrol had managed to clear the skies and the summer sun was drying up the mud. The ponies had bounced back quickly from the Twisted Desire and business was starting to get back into its normal rhythms, but in the conversations Twilight passed there was an undertone of fear and trepidation that something else would befall the town soon. Rainbow Dash's mysterious absence was a hot topic as well, considered by some of the more paranoid as an ill omen. Twilight made a few inquiries as she walked and failed to find any clues to her flying friend's location. In fact, nopony could remember seeing Rainbow Dash since she had retired to her home after starting last night's storm. Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be seen either, even though Twilight was sure she'd have finished looking around Fluttershy's and have canvassed half the town by now.

As she passed through the center of town, Twilight saw Rarity emerge from the spa looking noticeably un-relaxed and trotted over to her. "Oh, Twilight darling," Rarity said as the lavender unicorn approached, "You haven't seen Fluttershy by chance have you? Today was our spa day and she never showed up. She's never late, and if she has to cancel she always remembers to send word or even comes by to apologize in person."

"First Rainbow Dash and now Fluttershy?" Twilight exclaimed, "What's going on? There can't be any kind of pegasus event going on or there'd be a lot fewer in the air and around town right now. I've lost track of Pinkie too, but you can never be too sure with her in the first place…"

"This sounds like a matter of utmost urgency," Rarity said, "You must get to the bottom of this Twilight. Who knows? This may be something that dratted Discord is orchestrating in his bid to escape again."

"You're not the only pony thinking that way," Twilight said, "I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but we might want to put the Princesses on alert."

"Or the Order-naries," Rarity suggested, "They do have experience in tracking-" She was interrupted by the slap of clawed feet on the muddy road as Spike came sprinting toward them holding a scroll in his hand and calling Twilight's name in between gasps for breath. "Oh dear, now what?" Rarity asked in concern as the baby dragon reached them and nearly collapsed in exhaustion.

"Urgent," he gasped, "Order-naries… missing."

"What?" Twilight exclaimed, taking the scroll in her magic while Rarity gave Spike a leg to lean against as he panted. "Twilight," the lavender unicorn read, "Would you happen to know the location of Soul Mage and Gold Heart, as well as Ashen Blaze and Gale? Soul and Heart failed to report in for duty today, and a search of their usual haunts has come up empty. From the letter you sent to Princess Celestia yesterday, I was under the impression that the Order-naries would be back in Canterlot today. Has something else come up? Signed your BBBFF, Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard."

"But we saw Ash teleporting them away last night," Rarity said, confused.

"I know," Twilight said, frowning, "If this is a coincidence, then I'm a mule." She glanced around quickly to see if Ponyville's resident mild-manner mule was in earshot. He wasn't, so she picked her train of thought back up. "Spike," she said, "head back home and send a message to Canterlot. Tell the Princesses and my brother that the Order-naries aren't in town and that we're missing a couple other ponies."

"Sure thing Twi," Spike wheezed, giving her a thumbs-up, "Just as soon as I stop hyperventilating."

"Poor dear," Rarity said, levitating the little dragon, removing the mud from his feet, and then setting him onto her back, "Let me take you to the boutique and I'll find you a nice sapphire and some water while you write the letter, ok?"

"Thanks Rarity," Spike said, getting a dreamy look in his eyes, "You're the best." Rarity chuckled demurely.

"I think I'll go check out Fluttershy's place," Twilight said, "Pinkie was supposed to go there and I haven't seen her since. Meet me back at the library when you're done." Spike and Rarity both nodded and then set off. Twilight went off another way, headed for Fluttershy's cottage.

Despite the great urgency and worry she felt, Twilight kept herself to a slow trot as she reached the road to Fluttershy's, wanting to conserve as much energy as possible in case there was trouble. As soon as she had a clear view of the cottage in the distance, however, she spun around and began galloping back into town at full speed, having suddenly remembered something vitally important she needed to attend to. She made it about twenty yards before coming to a stop, her eyes crossed and narrowed in confusion. "What am I doing?" she asked aloud, "My friends are missing and Fluttershy's house is the closest thing I have to a clue! Nothing could be more important!" Suspicious, she turned back around and trotted toward the cottage. Once she had a clear view of it again, she found herself galloping away with a sense of urgency. Her hooves dug furrows into the road as she stopped herself ten yards away and turned to glare down the road. "Ok, that settles it," she said, "Something weird is definitely going on." She activated her magic and began casting a simple detection spell as she cautiously walked toward Fluttershy's cottage again. As the house came into view, the spell reacted, causing a faint shimmering wall to appear across the road and extending to either side in a curve that would eventually encircle Fluttershy's cottage if it continued. Twilight stuck a hoof through the shimmer and felt a sudden, almost irresistible urge to turn away. She pulled her hoof back and the feeling faded away gradually. "It's some kind of diversion spell," she mused, "Something doesn't want anypony getting near Fluttershy's. Well, I won't be stopped." Concentrating hard, she built a bubble of magic around herself and charged forward, but the moment she hit the perimeter of the diversion spell it bypassed her defenses and forced her away, this time to a distance of about twenty-five yards. "Ok," Twilight said, letting her force-field drop, "Whoever set that up is a particularly _good_ magic user, but there's a counter for everything. I just need to find it." She turned away from the house of her own will and galloped off toward the library, repeating in her mind a vow to find Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie no matter what.

* * *

><p>Twilight, Spike, and Rarity made it to the library at almost the same time, and the young dragon was looking worlds better. "The letter's away," he reported with a salute as Twilight let them inside, "Still waiting for a response."<p>

"Did you find anything at Fluttershy's?" Rarity asked, not looking too hopeful since Twilight had arrived alone.

"I couldn't get close enough," Twilight said, already scanning the bookshelves, "Spike, help me find everything we have on distraction and diversion spells and how to bypass them. There's a big one making it impossible to get within a hundred lengths of Fluttershy's house. If you try it sends you running away thinking you're late for an appointment or something drastic."

"Right," Spike said, jogging into the back room to look. Twilight began plucking books out seemingly at random and stacking them up by the central table.

"My goodness," Rarity said, taken aback somewhat, "I don't think I've ever heard of a diversion spell that gets bigger than a few rooms or a small hall, and those have to set into crystals so they'll stay up without supervision."

"Really?" Twilight asked, curious, "The only thing I've ever seen a diversion spell used for is temporary privacy in school dorms or a colt's 'no fillies allowed' clubhouse…"

"Yes, well Canterlot's not exactly known for its high crime rate," Rarity replied coyly, "It's a different story in the… seedier parts of big cities like Manehatten."

"What would a lady like you be doing in in places like that?" Spike asked as he waddled out of the back room with a tall stack of books balanced in his arms.

"I never said anything of the like Spike," Rarity said indignantly. She levitated the top book off his load and opened it up, pointedly holding it in front of her face to hide it from him. "Now what are we looking for Twilight?" she asked.

"I'm trying to see if there's a spell written down that matches what I ran into," the librarian answered, "if not I'll have to find the closest match and try to adapt a counter-spell to it. You don't have to stay if you don't want to by the way, if you had something else you needed to do today."

"Nonsense," Rarity said, "I insist on doing everything in my power to help. The sooner you can get us past that security spell, the sooner we find out what's happened to our friends. Now… what did that spell do again?"

Through the remainder of the day and into the night Twilight poured through book after book, noting down possible leads and scratching them out later upon finding something that seemed more likely. She hardly noticed when Rarity stepped out and returned with dinner from Sugar Cube Corner, although the news she brought that neither the Cakes nor Maggie Pie had seen Pinkie all day spurred Twilight to greater fervor. As evening approached, Rarity finally convinced herself that she had to go home and leave Twilight in the care of Spike and Owloysius, who was beginning to wake up for the night. The lavender unicorn was too caught up in preparing an experimental spell to even notice.

Having failed to find an exact match for the diversion spell around Fluttershy's cottage, Twilight settled on one that was close: a spell that convinced those who drew too close that there was nothing of interest beyond it, but also gave a headache to anyone who was too persistent. The only counter-spells Twilight could locate depended on being able to see and magically touch the source of the spell, which was out of the question for the current situation. With no other recourse available, Twilight began experimenting with magic shielding that could block a diversion spell's mental effects. Borrowing a diamond from Spike's stash of treats, she set a diversion into it to serve as the target and wrapped the shielding around herself. She soon fell into a cycle of studying and modifying spell formulae, casting them, and failing to get through the diversion spell. Around ten o'clock, she was nursing a terrible headache and a sour temper and Spike and Owloysius began conspiring to get her to stop. After the owl flew off with the spellbook she'd been consulting for the third time, Twilight finally got the message. "Ok, ok, I'll take a break," she said, dispelling the diversion spell properly and walking away from the work area, "but only for a few minutes, ok?" She sat down at the table, took an aspirin thoughtfully provided by Spike, and then laid her head on the table and despite her intentions fell asleep.

She was startled into wakefulness a couple hours later by a loud and faintly familiar cracking bang sound. Snapping her head up out of the puddle of drool that had formed on the table, she ran to the nearest window and looked outside. "There aren't any clouds," she said to Owloysius, who had fluttered over to join her, "So that wasn't thunder. It sounded awfully familiar though. But where…" The sound came again, echoing through the town and triggering Twilight's memory. "That's the sound from when the Order-naries fell out of the sky!" she exclaimed, running for the door, "They landed in Fluttershy's yard. This can't be a coincidence. Owloysius, let Spike know I've gone to investigate."

"Hoo," the owl responded.

* * *

><p>Flecks of purple tinted Ash's green eyes as he levitated the limp and despondent form of Pinkie Pie into the blue-rimmed rift. It was almost disappointing having to cast her into it after all the fun he'd had, but as always pragmatism had won out. He couldn't risk her rallying her spirit all of a sudden and making a surprise escape, and he had more important things to do anyway. There had been enough close calls already and he had to stay on his guard. As the dimensional rift slammed shut, he returned to the cottage he'd appropriated – long since cleared of anything small and rodent-like or avian – and sat down in the center of the den to meditate and plan. Things were progressing faster than he had expected; the Order-naries and half of the Elements of Harmony had already been dealt with in less than twenty-four hours, and considering Pinkie's dramatic entrance it was almost certain the disappearances had been noticed by those that remained. He'd put up a large perimeter spell to keep ponies away so that he could focus on the pink one, and it had been put to the test repeatedly in a short period of time earlier. <em>Applejack's stubborn enough to try and brute-force her way through<em>, he mused to himself, _although I can't discount- _His thoughts stopped as he felt the diversion spell react again and he went to the window and cast out to try and sense the identity of the attempted intruder. He felt intense magical power and sensations of lavender and magenta. _Twilight Sparkle. She can't be trying to unweave the spell, can she? Eh, might as well let her wear herself out on it; fighting her is not going to be fun in any case._ He decided to wait an hour or two before letting her pass and sat down to meditate again. Half an hour later, he felt the diversion spell collapse from an outside force. "Oh, she's good."

Twilight's glee at defeating the diversion spell faded quickly, replaced by worry as she neared Fluttershy's cottage and whatever was hiding inside. The gaping hole in the wall and roof around the bedroom gave the cottage a significant foreboding aura as it was, but the utter stillness in the yard and apparent lack of light in the windows only made things worse. She entered the yard and stopped as a mist rose up and the darkness-wrapped figure of an alicorn emerged near the house. For half a second Twilight thought it was Nightmare Moon, until she realized that not only was he a stallion but he wasn't much bigger than she was, and his eyes were glowing solid orange orbs, lacking even pupils. The two stared at each other for a second, and then he spoke, "Hello Twilight Sparkle. Forgive me if we skip past the part where you wonder who I am and I toy around until you figure it out. I've grown tired of that game." The shadows pulled away from him slightly to reveal a wild mane of fiery red and orange. "You know me as Ashen Blaze," he said, his eyes starting to turn blue as Twilight stared in open-mouthed shock, "and I've been busy removing the Elements of Harmony because the world is about to undergo a change and I don't want anything in my way."

"Y-you mean Discord," Twilight stammered, "He's using you again, trying to pave the way for his escape."

"Discord? Pah," Ash scoffed, eyes turning red, "That joke of a spirit couldn't plan his way out of a paper bag if it took more than three steps. No, he may have tried but he got more than he bargained for, and now I'm free." He smiled wickedly and took a few steps toward Twilight. "I almost wish you'd brought your Element tiara," he said, "I've been throwing the ponies into the void, but I'm curious what would happen if I were to throw in one of the jewels. I'd have tried with Fluttershy's necklace, but I've searched every nook, cranny, and rat-hole in this cottage and just couldn't find it."

"What did you do to my friends?" Twilight asked with a dangerous look in her eyes.

"You'll find out soon enough," Ash replied, nonchalant, "Make it easy on yourself and just give up. Powerful as you are, you're nothing without your friends."

"They may not be here in the flesh," Twilight said, focusing her magic, "but our bond is always there." She unleashed a powerful burst of magic that pushed Ash back against the wall of the cottage and dispersed the mist around the both of them. Ash's shadow cloak burned away under the onslaught, and his wings disintegrated. His eyes turned yellow but otherwise remained unchanged. He began to slump to the ground as the blast ended, but Twilight galloped up and caught him, holding him against the wall as she glared daggers at him. "You better have a way to bring Fluttershy and the others back when I'm done with this," she snarled, and then touched her horn to his and cast the memory spell that had always undone Discord's influence before. She began to delve into the ash-grey unicorn's mind, looking for the happy memories she was certain were there just under the surface. All she found, however, was darkness, images of strangely colored stars and monsters, and finally a terrible rage that pushed against the spell and forced Twilight out and tumbling head-over-tail away from Ash.

"Foolish little girl," he snarled, eyes blazing red, "I am the Indomitable; nothing enters my mind without my will. Nothing controls me any more, not even delusions of guilt. I am the _Meis Thamule_, the greatest mage there ever was, and I will prove it." He levitated Twilight off the ground, pressing a force against her neck to choke off her air, and with a gesture of his hoof tore open the rip in reality above the chicken coop. "I'm also rather annoyed that you destroyed my wings," he said, "Do you realize how much work it took to make those?" He flung her up and into the rip, releasing his telekinetic grip on her throat long enough for her to scream once before being swallowed up and the hole slammed shut. "Two left," the grey unicorn said, raising his eyes to the distant mountain range and the city built into its side.


	20. Chapter 4: Destitution

_Darkness. Soundless, even from my own throat. No ground, no sky, no gravity. No sense of up or down. _

_Is this what death feels like? Am I moving? Spinning? Flying? Stationary? So dizzy…_

* * *

><p>Spike rose groggily from his uneasy slumber to answer a knock at the door. His eyes were bloodshot and his stance uneasy from vacillating between the demands of sleep and worried waiting throughout the previous night for Twilight to return. His vision was still blurred as he opened the door, so all he saw at first was a blob of pink on the doorstep. "Pinkie Pie?" he said, "Where've you been? Twilight was worried. You haven't seen her have you?"<p>

"No, I haven't," the pink blur said in a familiar but decidedly not-Pinkie-Pie's voice, "Are you ok Spike?" Spike shook his head and rubbed furiously at his eyes until he could see clearly enough to make out the pink alicorn with the purple, rose, and gold mane and purple eyes looking down at him with concern. Behind her was a full squad of Royal Guards, consisting of pegasi and unicorns.

"Princess Cadance?" Spike exclaimed, "What are you… I mean… _ahem_, I'm afraid you caught me at a bad time your highness."

"I figured as much," Cadance said with a wry smirk, "When I heard that Twilight's friends were going missing, I insisted that Shining Armor let me come down with the guards he was sending to help investigate." She indicated the armored ponies standing behind her. "Were you saying something about Twilight being gone too?"

"Yeah," Spike said with a sigh, "Come on in. I'll tell you everything I know." He turned around and shuffled off to the kitchen as Cadance and two of the guards – one pegasus and one unicorn – stepped into the library while the remaining guards took up a perimeter around the tree. After a few minutes of scuttling around the kitchen and nearly breaking a few things in the process, Spike emerged with tea, oats, and a big pot of coffee. "Here we go," he said, setting the tray down on the table, "sorry I'm such a mess."

"It's ok Spike," Cadance said, taking charge of the coffee pot, "Just sit down and explain. How do you take your coffee?"

"I don't, it's for them," Spike answered, pointing to the guards, "Twilight says I'm not old enough for coffee yet. Tea please, nothing in it." Cadance looked askance, but poured the dragon a cup and set it in front of him. "I think it started the night before last," he said, "Sometime between going home for the night and sunrise, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy went missing. Yesterday, Pinkie disappeared when she went looking for them at Fluttershy's house, and later Twilight tried to go there and got repelled by a powerful spell."

"Oh my," Cadance said, "Knowing Twilight, that can't have sat well with her."

"Tell me about it," Spike said dryly, "She spent the rest of the day trying to find a counter-spell, and according to Owloysius – that's our owl – something made her go running out around midnight to try getting to Fluttershy's house again. She hasn't come home yet…"

Cadance processed the story with a grave expression, and then turned to the pegasus guard and said, "Send somepony - no, half the squad to Fluttershy's house. Everypony else should either begin investigating around town or securing the remaining two Element Bearers: Rarity and Applejack." The guards saluted and walked outside to relay the instructions.

"If you don't mind me asking," Spike said after drinking some of his tea, "Why didn't Shining come himself?"

"Well, his duty to Canterlot's defense comes before anything else," Cadance said, "although if he knew Twilight were missing I don't doubt he'd be down here in a minute." She shook her head at Spike's inquisitive look. "You know the Order-naries have gone missing too," she said, "You saw them leave Ponyville, so whatever is responsible may be able to reach Canterlot as well as Ponyville." She stopped and took an unsteady breath, losing her noble poise all of a sudden. "Oh Spike," she said, "What is going on? It seems like everything's been deteriorating since Summer began…"

"And Ponyville's been getting the worst of it," Spike agreed. The dragon and the young princess fell into a melancholy silence, each wishing they could say something encouraging but unable to find any silver lining on the oncoming storm clouds. The silence was broken a few minutes later as a unicorn guard burst into the library, his face promising more bad news.

"Something is going down around Miss Rarity's store," he said, "the entire property has been sealed inside a force field and at least one civilian has been injured trying to get past it."

"No!" Spike yelled. He bolted for the door, calling out to Rarity, only to find himself hauled back from the threshold and deposited onto Cadance's back as she galloped outside and took flight.

"Guide me there Spike," she said, "I don't know the way."

* * *

><p><em>Shouldn't I be freezing, if there's no heat? Could I even feel cold if I were?<em>

_Getting… hard to think… Unconcsious. Not that different from conscious really… I don't think I like death._

…

* * *

><p>Spike had seen the Royal Guards on high alert before, most recently at Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding, and the scene at the Carousel Boutique was par for the course. A translucent orange bubble had encased the fashion studio and all of the surrounding yard for several lengths outward and was halfway surrounded by a segmented arc of grey-coated unicorn guards who were apparently trying various methods of piercing the barrier while the white pegasus guards were applying coordinated physical attacks around the apex in search of a weak point. The guards that weren't actively trying to get inside were keeping the concerned townsponies a safe distance back, and as Cadance and Spike approached a pair of pegasi came up to bar the way. "Sorry your highness," one of them said, "but since you're not an actual officer of the Guard, I have to ask you to keep back while we work."<p>

"But I have to help Rarity!" Spike protested.

"Kid," the guard said, raising an eyebrow at the little dragon, "we have the situation under control." A loud electric pop went off from the bubble and a team of unicorn guards were thrown back from their position, soot-faced and armor smoking.

"Nice control," Spike muttered sarcastically.

"Now Spike," Cadance chided, coming in for a landing outside the Guard's perimeter, "We don't know how dangerous the situation really is, and these good ponies are highly trained."

"I know, I know," Spike admitted wearily, sliding of her back onto the ground, "I just… I'm sick of feeling helpless in emergencies like this. I'm a dragon for crying out loud!" Cadance put a leg around his shoulders for comfort as he fought back frustrated tears.

For nearly forty-five minutes the guards continued to try and break through the barrier to no avail and there was no sign of movement or sound from the boutique. The stalemate finally showed signs of ending when a window on the second story opened and an ash-grey unicorn with a fire-like mane stuck his head out, the annoyed orange glow of his eyes and horn visible even at the back of the crowd that had formed. "Persistent little gnats, all of you," he sneered in a magically amplified voice, "but that's all you are, little gnats with teeth not even big enough to pop a soap bubble! Feel free to wear yourselves out, but so long as I control that barrier, you'll never wear it down."

"Is that Ash?" Spike gasped, utterly shocked.

"It looks like him," Cadance said with a cold edge to her voice, "but it's doing a poor job acting like him." Striding forward with confidence, she stepped out of the crowd and past the guards, horn aglow as she amplified her voice to answer the villain. "Identify yourself and declare your intentions," she demanded.

"Ah, _Princess _Mi Amore Cadenza," Ash replied good-naturedly, his eyes turning green, "It has been a while, hasn't it? But surely you haven't forgotten my face in that time, _chiticu_. Ashen Blaze always left a strong impression on those who claim titles of authority."

"You are not Ashen Blaze," Cadance accused, "I know him well enough to know he would never harm Rarity, nor hold her and her home hostage."

"Truth," the grey unicorn said, "And hostages aren't really the style of _Meis Thamule_ either, but I must work with what I have. As to my intentions, well…" He grinned evilly, "It is unwise to reveal your plan to the enemy."

"If you are indeed Ash, tell me this," Cadance said, "Why the sudden change of heart? What have these ponies done to earn your hatred?"

"You understand nothing little princess," Ash spat, eyes flaring red for a second, "There's no hatred here, only pride and loyalty to the original cause! Feel free to test it with your little love spell, but oh, no," he laughed sardonically, "That would mean letting you through my defenses. I don't think so _chiticul_. There are only two ponies I'd dream of letting in here, and I've already got one right where I want her."

"Two?" Spike muttered, confused. A lightbulb went off in his head and he shoved his way out of the crowd and past the guards and shouted, "What did you do with Twilight and the others?"

"Removed them," Ash answered simply, prompting a wave of horrified guessing to roll through the crowd. "Tell you what," Ash said after a moment of thought, "If a certain somepony is out there and thinks they can put me in my place, I might be persuaded to bring them back." Worried muttering broke out among the crowd, and there was movement near the back as somepony started to shoulder their way through to the front.

"Ya mean me I take it," Appejack declared as she emerged. She stopped just short of the guards, who looked uncertain about whether or not to allow her closer. The fact that she was wearing a golden necklace with an apple-shaped citrine set in it only seemed to add to their confusion.

"Oh, is that the Element of Honesty I see?" Ash asked, eyes turning blue, "Now what prompted you to bring that AJ?"

"I figured if somepony was behind mah friends disappearing, I'd need all the help I could get when mah turn came around."

Ash clapped slowly and then drew his head back into the boutique. "I like your pragmatism farmgirl," he said, "Be warned though: once you enter my little bubble, you won't be going back out without facing me." Applejack snorted and stamped in reply and then started toward the barrier with such a strong look of determination on her face that even the elite Royal Guard didn't try to stop her. Cadance and Spike did, however, running to bar the earth pony's path before she got too far.

"Don't do it AJ," Spike pleaded.

"I hafta Spike," Applejack said stoically, "I can't stand by and let that… whatever he is now get away with assaulting mah friends so long as there's a chance I can do somethin' about it. Besides, he'll be coming for me eventually."

"You have no reason to think he'll play fair Applejack," Cadance said, "You're the last Element Bearer we have a chance to protect, and my aunts would be most upset if we didn't try. Come to back Canterlot with me and we'll keep you safe."

"Sorry Princess," AJ said, trying to walk around the alicorn, "No can do. That varmint's got a lot coming to him and I'm gonna see that he gets it."

"At least leave the necklace," Cadance pleaded, "If it fell into his hooves…"

"I wouldn't worry so much about that," Applejack replied, "I still remember everythin' Twilight said about us the night we became the Bearers of th' Elements. Unless the right pony's wearing this here necklace fer the right reasons, it's just a bit of fancy jewelry. Ya can keep an eye on mah hat though," she said, removing the Stetson and flinging it up onto Cadance's head, "Don't want it getting' damaged." With that, she pushed past the princess and Spike and walked up to the barrier, passing through it like it wasn't even there. Spike tried to run after her and rebounded off the barrier. Applejack glanced back once at the ponies gathered around before entering the Carousel Boutique, tensed and wary for any surprises. The door closed, and a few seconds later there was a series of cracks and crashes, and then dead silence before the orange bubble collapsed and faded from existence. Cadance and Spike led the instantaneous charge toward the building and burst inside. The main room was a mess of torn clothes, broken dress-forms, and shattered mirrors. There was no sign of life, save for a quivering Persian cat hiding under the remains of a fainting couch, and in the middle of the room a golden necklace with an orange gem in the shape of an apple lay seemingly abandoned on the floor.

* * *

><p>The first thing Twilight became aware of was warmth, and that alone was enough of a shock to pull her to the brink of full consciousness. Her thoughts remained jumbled for a bit, but as the sensations of touch and hearing began to return so did coherency. <em>Ok,<em> she thought, _So, I'm dead now? Everything went dark and… _Not_… but now I'm starting to feel again, so I just had to pass through whatever that dark place was to get to the afterlife. I don't want to be dead, but I guess now I get to learn which, if any, idea of the afterlife is correct. It's probably not the Verdant Dream, because I'm still me. Whatever it is, I hope it involves the Princesses being able to get in touch on some level…_ All of this pondering took place before Twilight began taking stock of her surroundings, and she kept her eyes firmly closed until she was sure it would be a good idea. She felt like she was laying in a bed, under light covers and with a pillow that was more supportive than soft under her head. She could hear voices somewhere nearby but muffled as if they were on the other side of a wall, and it sounded like an argument. _Odd,_ she thought, _I wouldn't think there'd be anything worth arguing about in the afterlife. Erg… or headaches_. She winced as the now all-too-familiar feeling of pain in the cranium returned with a vengeance and she clapped a hand to her forehead to rub at the most painful spot. _Wait… _hand_? And why can't I feel my horn?_ Her eyes flew open and she sat upright, panic overriding the protests of her head and stomach at the sudden movement long enough for her to get a good look at herself. She was nearly hairless, save for her mane which was tangled up in a typical bedhead, her skin was a pale pinkish-tan, she had five-fingered hands with no apparent claws, and her body structure seemed suited for bipedalism. The sound of movement to her left distracted her and she looked around to see she was in a large room filled with beds, five of which were occupied by creatures similar in appearance to her, each with an oddly familiar hairstyle. One of them, with long purple hair that fell past her shoulders as she sat up, turned to look at her and shrieked in panic. Twilight screamed in response, and their combined voices woke the other four, two of which also joined in the freak-out session while the third simply stared around in shock and the last sat listlessly.

"What's going on here?" one of the creatures, bearing a short mess of rainbow-striped hair on its head, exclaimed in a familiar-sounding voice.

"R-rainbow?" Twilight stammered in disbelief.

"Twilight?" the rainbow-haired thing replied in kind, "What happened? What are you? What am _I_?"

"_Goood_ morning!" a new, male-sounding voice declared as two creatures similar to what Twilight had apparently turned into entered the room. The one who had spoken was wearing a big, somewhat goofy grin while the other looked concerned. Like Twilight, they were bald except for a matching crop of brown hair on top of their heads – longer in the second one's case – triangular little noses poking out of otherwise flat-looking faces, and both were wearing clothing that covered all but their heads and lower arms.

"You!" Rainbow exclaimed, "Whatever you are, start ex-" she cut off abruptly as she attempted to jump out of the bed and face-planted onto the wood floor.

"Everyone just calm down," the no-longer-smiling creature said as its companion ran over to try and help Rainbow up, only to be pushed away distrustfully.

"Calm down?" the purple-haired one exclaimed in Rarity's hysterical voice, "Why should I calm down? Look at me! I'm hideous and _bald_!"

"Actually, I'd say your beauty got translated fairly well Rarity," the speaker's companion said. Feelings of déjà vu began flooding into Twilight's head.

"How do you know my name?" Rarity demanded. The two brown-haired creatures shared a glance, took a look around the room at everyone, and then looked at one another again and nodded. Walking to the middle of the room, they clasped hands and closed their eyes. An aura of ethereal blue flames surrounded the pair and then spread out and washed over Twilight and the others. As it did so, Twilight felt her panic and disorientation wash away and in its place came balance and a sense of familiarity with the linked pair. Looking around the room with fresh eyes, she found she recognized all the creatures in the beds – and on the floor in Rainbow Dash's case – as her friends. And the two brown haired ones were…

"Heart? Soul?" Fluttershy asked in quiet bewilderment.

"Indeed," Soul Mage said, releasing his sister's hand and bowing, "Welcome to the Af-"

"No," Gold Heart said sharply, smacking Soul upside the head, "We just calmed them down Ray; don't go freaking them out with a bad joke. Go tell Maha that everybody's awake now." Soul nodded, looking apologetic, and left the room. "Now," Heart said, looking around at he transformed ponies, "I'm sure you all have a lot of questions."

"Yer darn right," Applejack said, "Where the hay are we? Last thing I recall was bein' warped into the forest and then magically hogtied alongside Rarity and thrown into something darker than the inside of timber wolf by Ashen Blaze!"

"Oh," Rarity said huffily, "don't you dare mention that name!"

"It can't have been Ash," Fluttershy said. Everyone turned to look at her and she pulled the sheets up in front of her face. "I-I mean, it sure looked a lot like him," he said, "but the way he acted, it was like he was an entirely different pony."

"I'm not so sure," Twilight said, "I thought he was under Discord's influence when I ran into him, but he just laughed at the idea and when I tried to restore his memories I couldn't find anything but darkness and chaos. He called himself _Meis Thamule_ after that…" Heart frowned deeply at that and glanced toward the floor. "Hold on a second," Twilight said, looking toward Rarity and Applejack, "You two were still in Ponyville when I ran into… him. How long have we been here?"

"About six days," Heart murmured, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"What?" Rainbow exclaimed, trying to haul herself to her feet using the bed for support.

"Ahem," a strong motherly voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Soul standing behind an older-looking woman who was a head shorter than him but filled with matronly authority that made Twilight think of Granny Smith crossed with Mayor Mare. Her white hair was held back in thick braid and she brandished a gnarled wood walking stick at Rainbow Dash reprovingly. "Get yourself back into that bed Miss Rainbow," she said, "I don't want any of you girls getting any more hurts before the doctor can get a look at you all. And don't you two stress them with too much talking either," she added with a wave of the stick toward Heart and a tap of the forehead to Soul before leaving.

"And that's Matron Maha," Soul said as he entered the room properly, "Wonderful woman; I'm glad to see she's still running things here." He went over to Rainbow and straightened out the bedclothes as she grumpily slid herself onto the bed.

"And where is here?" Applejack asked.

"Valden," Soul answered, "Specifically, we're in the Traveler's House of Overlook Town – formerly Vladeksfoot – of the Kallu Empire, the second largest nation of the world."

"This is the world where we fought Tau'rin just prior to going to Equestria," Heart explained when everyone gave Soul a blank look, "And, at least for the moment, it's home."


	21. Chapter 5: Discovery

"What do you mean, 'home'?" Applejack asked.

"We mean you may as well get comfortable with being human," Soul said, taking a seat on an unoccupied bed, "You girls were out cold for about six days, but we bounced back from the inter-dimensional journey about as fast as usual. I'm not sure why it took you so long to recover, but the point is that Chell, er, that is Heart and I have had time to get reacquainted with the area and to put it simply, getting back to Equestria doesn't seem likely."

"You and Gold Heart," Twilight said, "what about Gale?"

"Oh, she's here too," Heart said quickly, "Just... busy with other things at the moment. And the by the way," she added with a look at her twin brother, "you girls are going to need to get used to people calling us by our real names: I'm Rachelle, or Chell if you need to be brief, he's Ray, and Gale is Carmilla. Ash-"

"Doesn't matter," Rarity said curtly, "Thank you for the forewarning Rachelle. I for one will endeavor to remember to address you properly."

"Are we going to need weird names like those?" Rainbow asked, "Well, yours isn't _too_ weird Ray, but…"

Ray chuckled as Rachelle rolled her eyes. "I think you can get by with your real names," the male twin said, "Most of the townsfolk are aware that you're from another reality, and treating visitors with all possible respect is a big rule to the Valden people."

"That's good," Fluttershy said in her normal quiet manner, "I mean, this is so much to take in already…"

"Take your time," Ray said, "You just stick with us; we're long overdue in paying back the favor of you helping us adjust to Equestria." His smile was warm, but something in his eyes made it seem less than genuine.

* * *

><p>"Your report Lieutenant," Captain Shining Armor said crisply, hardly looking up from the map laid out on the main table in the Ponyville library.<p>

"Sir," the unicorn Guard responded smartly, "We've still been unable to locate even a trace of Ashen Blaze, nor any clues as to where he may have taken the Element Bearers. Also, the Apple family still refuses to comply with your request that they relocate to Canterlot along with the other families of the Bearers."

"I'm not surprised," Spike noted sourly from his seat across the room, "Their orchard was nibbled on by parasprites two weeks ago, then pounded by gale-force winds last week and dusted with pollen from a freaky poison joak cross-breed, and then half-drowned by rain that was left on too long because evil-Ash took away our best weather pony. They're also missing a family member and dependable worker. I'd say they're far more worried about preventing a food shortage for the entire town than their own safety."

"On a more positive note Captain," the Lieutenant said, reclaiming Shining's attention, "We have been able to confirm the location of more of Miss Fluttershy's animal charges, including the rabbit Angel. They're in the care of the zebra herbalist of the Everfree Forest."

Shining Armor gave the unicorn a hard look of barely concealed displeasure. "You have failed to find my sister and her friends and expect me to be satisfied that you found some bunnies?" he asked in a low voice. The lieutenant stammered for a bit before falling silent when the captain raised his hoof and dropped his gaze. "Expand our range. I want the next search party going as deep into the Everfree Forest as they can without breaking the pattern."

"Yes sir," the guard said, "…and the Apple family?"

"Leave them be," Shining said wearily, "We've been trying for days now; they obviously aren't going anywhere." The lieutenant saluted and left. After the door closed, Shining slumped out of his stiff commanding stance and pressed a hoof to his head with a grimace. "Where _is_ he?" he groaned, "What is he planning?"

"You need to try and relax my love," Cadance said, emerging from the kitchen and going over to nuzzle her husband, "You won't be doing Twily any favors if you get yourself bedridden with a migraine."

"I'm trying to understand," Shining said, "With no warning, Ash goes bad and manages to spirit away nine other ponies – three of which are known to be able to handle him when he has a bad episode – within thirty-six hours and then vanishes without a trace for nearly a week. He has to be planning something, but what? Where will he strike next? And how do we stop him without… without the Elements of Harmony?"

"We'll find a way Shining," Cadance assured, hugging him, "We defeated the Changelings. Compared to that, what's one unicorn?"

* * *

><p>The doctor arrived shortly, although his scruffy-looking hair and thick beard didn't quite mesh with Twilight's concept of what a doctor should look like, even a human one, and some of his methods, such as holding a lit candle close the face of the girls as he examined them, seemed odd, but he carried himself with the confidence befitting his profession. He began with Applejack, whose bed was closest to the door, checking her for bruises, broken bones, concussion, and other such wounds. As he worked, Twilight took the time to get a more detailed look at each of her friends. While their hair was their most familiar feature, having retained the colors and similar styles to the original, they were all different in several subtle but noticeable ways. Applejack looked every inch like the strong, seasoned farm worker she was, all firm, toned muscles with a plain honest face and tan skin. Rainbow Dash also had a sense of strength about her, but she was thinner, more pale-skinned, and wiry, apparently built more for speed than heavy lifting. Fluttershy was a waifish copy of Dash, with similarly toned skin but merely skinny-looking where Dash was wiry, and her trademark shy kindness was written all over her partially hidden face. Twilight herself seemed to fall somewhere in the middle, not as dark as AJ but more so than the former pegasi, and while she had more weight on her than Fluttershy it wasn't a developed kind of weight. With only Rachelle's opinion and the present company to base her own upon, Twilight decided that Rarity did seem to be the most naturally "beautiful" of the six. There was something elegant and refined about the shape of her face and the curves of her figure, which made Twilight think of an hourglass for some reason. Finally, there was Pinkie Pie, whose appearance was disconcerting. It wasn't due to any inherent ugliness or abnormality, although she seemed far more plump than the others, but because of the uncharacteristic slump of her shoulders and sad, far-off look in her face, which was made worse by the fact that her hair hung straight and limp and was far shorter than it should have been, not even reaching her shoulders. Twilight tried to speak to her, but as she opened her mouth to do so, the doctor came to her bed and stuck the candle in her face, his eyes watching hers intently.<p>

"Any pain or dizziness?" he asked.

"Just a headache," Twilight answered, holding back a wince as said headache flared for a moment. Something must have shown on her face however, as the doctor frowned in concern and started gently poking and feeling over her skull.

"You don't have any bumps or cracks," he concluded, "and your eyes dilate fine. Are these headaches common?"

"No," Twilight said, shaking her head, "I was working with a spell recently. That is… before I ended up here."

"Ah, you're a magus," the doctor said, "That might explain it: you've built up potential energy while you were unconscious. Cast some simple spells and see if it goes away."

"Um… right," Twilight said, rubbing the spot where her horn should have been self-consciously, "but…"

"Magic works differently where she comes from," Ray said, coming to her rescue, "She… the focus she always used didn't make the trip with her."

"Well, then I'd suggest she start re-learning as soon as possible," the doctor said, "or those headaches will just get worse. Other than that, she's in perfect health too." He moved on to Fluttershy and the twins came over to Twilight's bed.

"There are a few magi in town who should be willing to lend you a hand," Ray said, "but it may take a little time to set things up."

"I can wait," Twilight said, "It's annoying, but nothing I can't endure."

"Just let us know," Rachelle said.

"You're fine," the doctor said to Fluttershy, "but you might want to eat more, skinny little thing." He moved on to Pinkie and frowned at her blank expression. "Are you hurting?" he asked as he began his examination.

"'mfine," Pinkie mumbled.

"Somehow I doubt that," the doctor said flatly, holding her chin up to see her eyes better, "Any pain?" Pinkie simply shook her head. The doctor frowned and finished his check-up in silence. "Well, there's nothing physically wrong," he concluded, casting a glance at ray and Rachelle, "At least not that I can find." He blew out the candle and stowed it away in a pocket as he left the room. "Out of bed and solid foods for everyone," he said before he was out of sight.

"Right then," Rachelle said, "Ray, get out."

"Come again?" her brother asked.

"The girls can't have lunch in their nightgowns," Rachelle said simply.

"Ah, gotcha," Ray said, sticking a thumb up in the air as he marched to the door, "I'll be right outside then."

"I must admit I'm confused now," Rarity said as Rachelle went over to large wardrobe cabinet in the corner.

"I think you'll love this Rarity," Rachelle said, opening the wardrobe to reveal a multitude of shirts, pants, skirts, blouses, and other items of clothing, "Clothing is essential in human society, so there is a lot more demand for designers, tailors, and shoemakers than you'd likely ever find in Equestria."

"Oh?" Rarity said, eyes gleaming as she slid out of bed and tried to find her balance, "Then I must make sure we make a good first impression in public. Help me, would you?"

It took some time for the six former ponies to be ready to leave the bedroom, for a variety of reasons. First, they had to get used to standing and walking on two legs, and since Ray wasn't allowed in the room Rachelle had to help them along by herself. Secondly, it took Rarity a fair amount of time to sort through the available clothes – all of which were cast-offs and donations from previous guests of the Traveler's House according to Rachelle – to put together outfits she deemed appropriate and acceptable for each girl while meeting the minimum standard of top, bottoms, and shoes. Lastly, and of greatest concern to everyone, Pinkie Pie continued to behave extremely out of character, avoiding eye contact and snapping hysterically at anyone who tried to comfort her. Out in the hallway, Ray clearly heard most of her exclamations and when the group finally emerged from the room with the sullen pink-haired girl practically being herded by Fluttershy and Rainbow he pulled Rachelle ahead of them a bit as they led the way to the stairs and down to the dining room. "Do you think Pinkie's going to need some Spiriter intervention Chell?" he asked in a whisper.

"It's very likely," Rachelle whispered back, "but I want to see how much we can get her to bring to the surface first. It'd certainly make things easier. On several fronts."

"Agreed." They lead the girls into a large room on the ground floor dominated by a long table that could sit at least fifteen comfortably, although only ten chairs were set up around it presently. Serving bowls of food and pitchers of drink were set in the middle of the table, and one chair near the end was occupied by a young woman with dark brown hair that looked like it hadn't seen more than a cursory brushing and clothes sporting a few set-in grease stains who seemed lost in her own world as she fiddled with a head-mounted computer. "Hey Carmilla," Ray said to get her attention and identify her to the former ponies, "Look who all are ready for lunch."

"Well, lunch is ready for you," Carmilla replied, looking up and smiling at the group, "Good to see you girls up and about. Uh, Pinkie Pie? Are you ok over there?" Pinkie mumbled a noncommittal response.

"Don't push her too hard yet," Rachelle advised, taking a seat next to her mechanic-savvy friend, and then motioned for everyone else to sit down as well.

"Well this all looks mighty tasty," Applejack said once she was settled into her chair. She started to reach for the nearest bowl, but a sharp crack from the other end of the table stopped her.

"Not yet," Matron Maha said, having appeared from another room and smacked her walking stick on the table, "Wait until all the guests are seated missy."

"Are there others?" Twilight asked, confused, "We've taken all the chairs."

"Nope, there's still one," Maha said, pointing to the vacant seat which sat between Ray and Rachelle. Maha went to the dining room door, rapped on the door frame several times, and called out, "Lunch is served! Don't make all these ladies wait cuz you're too shy to face them Ash!" Six out of nine would-be diners tensed up at the name, while Carmilla sank in her seat with a sigh and the twins shared a look. Silence reigned except for the sound of footsteps descending the stairs and approaching the room. They stopped while the owner was still out of sight, but he spoke up in a quiet, annoyed, and very familiar voice.

"I am not 'too shy' to face them Matron," Ash said, "I'm trying not to disturb the peace of your respectable House." Chairs fell over as Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight all shot to their feet and raced for the hallway. The Order-naries jumped up as well, and by virtue of their greater familiarity with running in human form managed to beat the other four to the hall and tried to impose themselves between the four angry former ponies and the dark-haired, green-eyed male who was Ash the Pragmagic. Ash took one look at his would-be protectors and pushed them aside, leaving himself open to the fury of the oncoming girls. He put up no resistance as Applejack grabbed him by the collar of the oddly cut robe he wore and lifted him up against the wall.

"Gimme one good reason I shouldn't smash your face in Ashen Blaze," the blonde farmer growled dangerously.

"I'll give you one missy," Maha said, coming up behind AJ and smacking her on the head with her walking stick, "I will not abide violence between guests in my House." Applejack dropped Ash to rub at the bump forming on her head.

"We could take this outside then," Ash said in a neutral tone, "Since it's inevitable now."

"For the hundredth time Ash," Rachelle said, glaring at him, and the other two Order-naries joined her in a sharp, emphatic, "NO!"

"We will not let you take undue blame for this," Ray said.

"To yourself or from others," Carmilla added.

"What?" Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy exclaimed.

Rachelle rounded on the group, her eyes as hard and cold as steel and her voice brooking no argument. "We are going back to the dining room," she said, "we are going to eat, and we are going to _talk like civilized beings_ until everyone has the full story. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" Applejack said. Rachelle nodded in satisfaction and got everyone marching back to the table.

"Yeesh, I forgot how scary Chell is when she's mad," Carmilla muttered to Ray.

"It's always the nice ones," Ray replied just as quietly, "I wonder, Fluttershy's Stare versus Angry Chell?"

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that," Carmilla said with a false shudder. Rachelle cast a glance at the two and they dropped the subject instantly.

The tension in the dining room could have been cut with a knife as the group filed in and took their seats, save for Rachelle who took up a stance behind Ash's chair once he was convinced to sit. "Now," the Spiriter girl said once everyone was settled, "We haven't had time to get the details, but I know you're all here in Valden due to having a run-in with a certain grey unicorn."

"He broke Angel's legs!" Fluttershy burst out.

"I saw him attacking Fluttershy," Rainbow shouted.

"He did something to Pinkie," Twilight put in, "and managed to overpower me."

"He… you…" Rarity sputtered, her face flushed with fury.

"Ok, ok, you can each have your chance at him," Ray cut in, standing up, "but listen first. This Ash sitting here is not the one who attacked you."

"He may as well have been," Ash said darkly.

"A hundred and one Ash: _no_," Rachelle said sharply and then looked back up at the group, saying, "We're not entirely sure what he is besides an evil copy, but-"

"What he is," Ash said, surging to his feet, "Is the culmination of Discord's attempt to use me as his puppet to spread chaos through Equestria. He is everything I have struggled for years to contain: the darkness, pride, and desire to conquer that I was originally designed for, all brought to the surface and mixed with enough of Discord's own power to give it life separate from my own being. He is truly and completely _Meis Thamule_. He's exiled all of you here because he knows the threat the Elements of Harmony pose to his campaign. Actually, he may be convinced he's eradicated you, since there was no way to know for certain if Valden and the other worlds still existed without passing back through the portals Tau'rin or me and the Order-naries emerged from."

"Wait, wait," Twilight said, trying to process everything, "Didn't you say that whenever Tau'rin succeeded in gathering the seven gems that the resulting power surge would destroy the entire universe he was in?"

"That's what we thought," Carmilla said, "Being at the epicenter of an Ultimate Chaos explosion certainly felt like all of reality was coming undone, and we always got sent along to the next world before it ended, so we just assumed the blast was limitless. If Tau'rin knew the truth, he obviously never bothered to set us straight."

"So instead, it just opened a way into another universe?" Twilight asked, a small smile coming to her face.

"That was one of the effects, yes," Ash replied.

"Well then," Twilight said, pounding the table lightly with a fist, "We're not stuck. If that fake Ash, Thamule, could open the portal on Equestria, then you should be able to do it on this end Ash."

"Unfortunately Twilight," Ash said, sitting down and folding his arms, "That would be impossible."


	22. Chapter 6: Depression

The town of Overlook had once been known as Vladeksfoot due to its location at the base of a solitary mountain known as Vladek's Peak, after some ancient figure of myth. That mountain had been where Tau'rin had established his fortress in Valden and where the Order-naries had had their final confrontation with him prior to their Equestrian adventures. Shortly after, Vladeksfoot had changed its name to Overlook because Vladek's Peak no longer existed. In its place was a deep pit that looked like someone had dug a perfectly round bowl a quarter mile across and lined it with smooth black glass several inches thick. Ash stood on the lip of this crater with Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Carmilla, the other four having stayed back at the Traveler's House for various reasons. The Equestria natives were staring in open-mouthed wonder at the pit while Ash and Carmilla, who had seen it enough already, waited patiently for their minds to finish processing the sight.

"Is this what Ultimate Chaos could do?" Twilight finally asked in trepidation.

"Consider the fact that the mountain was over a mile high and the blast went off a couple hundred feet short of the peak," Ash said, "and then try to tell me Tau'rin didn't need to be stopped." Twilight's eyes bugged out a bit as she tried to picture a magical explosion that large.

"It's impressive," Rainbow said, less overwhelmed than her magically gifted friend, "but what does it have to do with the portal to Equestria?"

"I repeat," Ash said, "The center of the Ultimate Chaos, the point where we and Tau'rin were standing when we were ripped from Valden and flung into Equestria, was near the peak of a mountain which no longer exists."

"So… high," Fluttershy said.

"Indeed," Ash said with a nod, looking up into the sky, "As a humanoid once more, I'm at my peak of magical potential, but I cannot lift ten full-grown humanoids – including myself – to that height with any degree of safety, and even if I could, I'm afraid my other self-"

"Thamule," Carmilla said insistently.

"Thamule, yes," Ash said with some irritation, "while he knows the trick to re-opening the dimensional rifts, I do not have that knowledge. Either Discord gave him the power or he figured it out pretty quickly."

"So, how long has the Ash in Equestria actually been Thamule?" Rainbow asked, "You were acting a bit off recently…"

"You were dealing with me up until I tried to go to Canterlot after the Twisted Desire was cured," the mage answered, turning away from the pit and starting to walk away, "My… _Thamule_ may have existed longer than that, but he only took my place after Discord forced me to take the Order-naries into the Everfree instead of Canterlot, where Thamule ambushed and incapacitated me, and then the others shortly after." He came to a stop just as the others turned to start following him, and he stood in silent contemplation for a moment before turning to face them. "I understand why Carmilla and M'Dales insist on not blaming me for Thamule's actions," he said, "seeing as they're stubborn as ever about trying to support me, but you four, and Rarity and Pinkie as well, have seen the darkness I'm capable of first-hand and practically unfil-"

"Just stop there sugarcube," Applejack said, "Yeah, what he did was pretty bad, and we still don't know the extent of what he did ta Pinkie, but it wasn't _you_ what did it to us."

"Besides," Rainbow Dash said, "we wouldn't blame you even if that had been you, just with your mind all messed up by Discord. He flipped all of _us_ around once you know, and that'd make us… uh… real jerks-"

"I think you mean 'hypocrites'," Twilight cut in.

"Gesundheit," Rainbow said, smirking at Twilight's eye-roll before turning her attention back to Ash and concluding, "if we held what you did under his influence against you."

Carmilla chuckled at Ash's speechless expression and walked past him back into town, giving him a light flick on the head as she passed. "Why you still haven't learned that others can forgive you and move on when you can't do so for yourself is a mystery Ash," she said, "I'm going to go see if Bora has a job opening at his forge, in case you need me."

"Job opening?" Applejack said, frowning, "She's really intendin' ta settle in, ain't she?"

"That is the plan for now," Ash said with a nod, "I'm sure it'll be hard to let go of Equestria, but there's no going back that I can see. Maha will put us up as long as we need to, but she'll be more than happy to point you toward somebody who can get you started on a career if you ask." He looked toward the Traveler's House in the distance and sighed. "As for me, I need to see just how forgiving Pinkie and Rarity will be…"

* * *

><p>"<em>Just stay away from me!<em>"

"Pinkie, please," Rachelle said in a calming tone, "We only want to help you."

"I don't need help," Pinkie squealed, trying to pull herself deeper into the corner of the common bedroom room, "I don't deserve it."

"Pinkie," Rachelle began again.

"_NO!_" Pinkie screamed.

"This isn't working sis," Ray said, massaging the headache Pinkie's shrill voice was giving him, "She's too hysterical. I really think we should just give her the treatment."

"No!" Pinkie said, "No treatment, whatever it is."

"You really think you can fight that without doing more harm?" Rachelle asked her brother in a murmur.

"Having problems with the pink party-pooper?" The twins turned to see Ash standing in the doorway.

"Back already Ash?" Ray asked, "How'd the others like the crater?" Ash started to answer, but stopped when he saw Pinkie rise unsteadily to her feet and make a beeline for him, crawling over every bed in her path to do so.

"Hey Pinkie," Ash said with an awkward attempt at casual as the pink-haired girl got right up in his face. He averted his eyes down to the floor as she tried to stare straight into them.

"You never lie, right?" Pinkie asked, leaning into Ash.

"I will answer any direct question with the absolute truth so far as I know it," Ash responded, "And I never go back on my word unless circumstances render it impossible."

"Does Bad Ash always tell the truth?" Pinkie asked a gleam of desperate hope sparking in her eyes.

"No," Ash said simply, trying to put a comfortable distance between himself and her, "At least, I doubt it. Thamule is a reflection of me before I remade myself as an honest soldier of Order."

"Then. Then. Then!" Pinkie said, sliding up to his face again, "Was he lying? Was what he said about me just mean lies? Tell me Ash!"

"Pinkie," Ash said, holding her at arm's length, "I can't answer that; I don't know what he said to you. We're the same, he and I-"

"Not," Ray said.

"Fundamentally we are the same," Ash repeated, "but I know nothing of what went on in his head. Pinkie Pie, only if you tell us what he said to you to break your spirit can I try to help you."

Pinkie was silent for several moments, staring at the floor, but finally she looked up and tried to meet Ash's eyes not noticing how he looked firmly away. "He told me that I was reason Discord was able to do everything he's done recently," she said, "It was my fault the seal didn't stick like it should have, because I didn't really want some of the chaos to end. Was he wrong Ash? Tell me he was wrong!" Her eyes were huge, wet with unshed tears, and pleading.

Ash grimaced and released his grip on her. He sat down hard, barely managing to avoid hitting his head on the wall behind him. "I… I…" he said, downcast, "I can't say that Pinkie."

"What?" Ray and Rachelle exclaimed as the light in Pinkie's eyes died and she sank to the floor as well.

"I saw a weak-point in the seal shortly after Discord was defeated," Ash said, "I tried to theorize why the Elements of Harmony would have done an imperfect job, when the previous seal had lasted for millennia. The only conclusion that made sense was that there had been some hesitation in the unification of the Element's power, and…"

"Pinkie, the silly and off-beat Element of Laughter was your most likely suspect," Ray finished coolly, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"That's why," Ash said, pointing to Pinkie, "Who am I to threaten the crucial bond between the Six? If they'd remained ignorant of a possible weakness, at least until after the seal was fixed, there would have been no harm. And of course, if I _had_ spoken of it, I would have done my best to soften the blow. Thamule had no such compunctions. Pinkie, I am truly sorry."

"You were doing the right thing Ash," Rachelle said, "It got away from you in the end, but that was a secret worth keeping."

Ash nodded in gratitude, and then moved to kneel in front of Pinkie. "Pinkie Pie, listen to me," he said, "you are not a weak link, you're simply mortal. Everyone has their weaknesses, but those can be overcome. Do you understand me?" When Pinkie didn't respond, he grabbed her chin and lifted her head up, coming as close to meeting her eyes as he dared. "Thamule is evil," he said, "and he was created by Discord. Discord was wrong about your strength and friendship before, and both he and Thamule are wrong now. Put yourself back together and show them what Laughter truly means, ok? Never forget who your friends are and what they have and will do for you. And again, I apologize for any pain I have caused you, even indirectly."

"I… do you mean it?" Pinkie asked weakly.

"I never lie," Ash said with a smile, "and on top of that, I cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Pinkie let out a small giggle and smiled slightly, but her hair remained straight and flat. Satisfied, Ash stood up and went over to Ray and Rachelle. "That's the best that _I_ can do for her I think," he said in a low tone.

"I'm surprised you took that route," Ray said, "We can't get back to Equestria, so why bother using proving Discord wrong as a morale booster?"

"It was the only weapon I had," Ash answered, "even outside of their universe and separated from the Element necklaces, the bond they share is their strongest tool. On that note, do you know where I can find Rarity?"

"Private room, one floor down," Rachelle said with a knowing smile. Ash ignored it in silence as he left the room.

* * *

><p>"Doesn't it seem to be… in poor taste to be putting on a show tonight?"<p>

"Certainly not Harlequin," Trixie answered with affected shock, "Why, with all the anxiety and fear caused by recent events, ponies will be crawling over one another for some light-hearted entertainment to help them escape for a moment."

"That and if you don't bring in some bits soon you'll be broke," Maggie Pie added without glancing up from the finance ledger she'd recently acquired for the troupe. It was sadly lacking in positive numbers at the moment.

"I'm still not sure," Harlequin said dubiously.

"Don't be a sourpuss Quin," Barnacle Salt said, looking at something beyond the field the troupe had come to for the day's rehearsal, "There's an ill wind brewing from starboard as it is." Everypony turned to see what he was talking about and saw a purple-on-red unicorn standing a short ways off, looking disgruntled at being detected.

"Well, I was wondering what happened to you Tremolo," Trixie called out, "I was almost convinced you'd finally had enough at the Summer Sun Celebration!"

"Oh, I was around Trixie," Tremolo replied as he stalked closer to the group, "Biding my time and feeling out the currents. You've been having such a tough time on the stage, I figured I didn't need to get involved again, but now I've learned some of what's been going on behind the scenes and-" he stopped and froze as the ground began to tremble. Several small tremors rolled through the dirt from various directions and then sinkholes began to form, one nearly underneath Tremolo's hooves. With a panicked sound, the red unicorn leapt away and joined Trixie's group in huddling defensively near the wagon, watching the holes form and grow around them. Clawed hands covered in grey and brown fur and attached to thick arms rose from the holes and were soon followed by helmeted canine heads with disturbingly blank eyes that surveyed the area and one by one locked onto the ponies.

"Run," somepony said, and the troupe bolted. Barnacle took to the air with Cabbage Patch held tight in his front legs while Tremolo and Harlequin ran for their lives in opposite directions, leaving Trixie and Maggie debating quickly and furiously about the risk of trying to save the wagon. The Diamond Dogs hauled themselves out of their holes and, as if driven by some other force, turned as one to pursue the fleeing ponies. Trixie and Maggie shared a confused glance and then got the wagon moving in the direction everypony but Tremolo was headed: toward Ponyville.

Once the hole-riddled field was empty, Thamule hauled himself partly out of one of the holes and watched the receding dust cloud with satisfied green eyes. "Not an ideal army," he said, "but it'll do for a distraction."

* * *

><p>The door to Rarity's room was locked, and Ash wasn't the least bit surprised by that fact. He stood in front of it for a while, trying to decide what he wanted to accomplish with the fashionista and knowing deep in his gut that his personal vow never to lie was going to bite him even harder than it had with Pinkie Pie. He told himself he'd be happy if Rarity had truly decided not to have a crush on him anymore, but he couldn't live with her outright refusing to speak with him ever again. "<em>Skomata ne bara…<em>" he intoned under his breath, a grudging acceptance of difficulties as he knocked on the door. "Rarity, it's me," he said, "Ash." When there was no response from within, he briefly considered just walking away, but he had never been one to retreat before the fight had even begun. "I'm sure you're in there Rarity," he said, "and I'm not above using a spell to confirm it." He caught the faint sound of something shuffling through the door and took a deep breath, thinking. "Look, I know you're upset about something Thamule said to you, but you know it wasn't me, so there's no point directing that anger at me."

"It could have been you," Rarity snapped from inside, "He's a part of you, isn't he? That part you keep buried under your gentlecoltly behavior and self-redeeming hero façade."

"Yes," Ash admitted grudgingly, "but mixed up with aspects of Discord and lacking any of the morals and empathy I've managed to develop since fleeing the Shadowstar Empire. You've seen how I behave under more normal circumstances."

"Yes," Rarity said sourly, "I've seen your calculated actions and listened to your expertly-chosen words. Now I see the truth in what that awful double of yours said. You've only been humoring me, constantly on the edge between annoyed and amused at how I tried oh so very hard not to fawn over you every chance I got, displaying my childish attraction in a way that seemed mature and respectful. To think, I thought I had learned how to look below the surface of a handsome face and a high title, but still my gaze has been too superficial."

"Those are starting to sound like the words of another person Rarity," Ash said, "You can't have forgotten what I said about you just a short while ago, in the presence of seeds of truth at that!"

"You paid me simple compliments and said you couldn't reciprocate my affection," Rarity said, and even through the door Ash could feel an icy glare directed at him, "All of which was true of course, but not in the way I first thought."

"Rarity," Ash said, surprised at how hurt he felt, "I could never-" He cut off as Rarity unlocked the door and swung it open, her eyes hard and determined. Ash averted his gaze instantly, focusing on her grim, frowning lips.

"Say it then," she challenged, "No more mincing words Ashen Blaze. Look me in the eye and tell me the truth."

"Rarity," the mage began.

"_Look at me_," Rarity screamed, "How can I believe you when you won't meet my gaze?"

"You don't want me to do that Rarity, trust me," Ash said, "I explained this to you once a long time ago: my eyes, my human eyes, hold an intimidating power that I cannot turn off. It doesn't matter if they're a friend or foe, to meet my eyes is to experience unbeatable fear."

"Look me in the eye Ashen Blaze, or you will lose my trust forever," Rarity snarled.

"No," Ash gasped, "The trust of others is all I…" He sighed in defeat. "Forgive me for this," he said, "for you know not what you have asked." He placed his hands lightly on Rarity's shoulders and looked straight into her eyes. The effect was almost immediate, as Rarity's azure eyes widened in shock, all the anger forced away by fear. With a cry, she tore herself away and fled to the other side of the room, hugging herself tight as she trembled. Ash let her be for a few seconds, and then walked slowly up to her, reaching out hesitantly to touch her shoulder. "Rarity," he said quietly when she did no more than flinch, "I would not be able to live with myself if I couldn't make things up to you. The obvious solutions are gone; I can't get us back to Equestria and I can't look you in the eye as we talk. Please, if there's anything I can do to earn your forgiveness…"

Rarity was silent for a long time, and Ash began to despair of receiving a response, but before he could muster the will to speak again or turn to leave, the young woman broke the silence herself. "Tell me this," she said, "are we dancing around the topic of love because you are unable to feel it, or because you want to deny yourself of it out of guilt?"

"Love, affection, and even friendship were unknown to me as _Meis Thamule_," Ash answered, "but I have long since learned what they feel like. I just… I'm not worthy."

"Then," Rarity said, turning around and catching Ash off-guard in a hug, "You are a very noble and sad fool Ash, and I am sorry I mistreated you." She chuckled as Ash stiffened in her grasp, arms visibly twitching with indecision. "Oh," she chided gently, "just forget yourself for a moment and hug me back already you silly colt."

"The proper term would be 'boy'." Ash replied, finding the will to put first one arm and the then the other around the purple-haired lady.


	23. Chapter 7: Discussion

_A question for you, Captain Shining Armor:_

_Who do you value more, your Love or your Sun?_

_- Meis Thamule_

* * *

><p>A couple days passed and the Equestrian exiles were gradually becoming acclimated to their new home. The group continued to live in the Traveler's House and a few of them – namely Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Carmilla – had either found or were seeking out employment around Overlook. Rainbow Dash found herself frustrated by her lack of wings and the revelation that Valden's weather was entirely wild and unmanaged. Pinkie Pie was functional, but her characteristic joy had yet to return and she still shied away from certain topics with her friends. Ray and Rachelle did their best to help her by using a spirit magic technique that attempted to bring calm to troubled minds, but they both declared it would accomplish little until Pinkie let the others in on the problem. Despite having returned to everyone's good graces, Ash often went off by himself for hours on end, only occasionally to be seen at the Traveler's House or the small school-cum-pub for the town's few magic users, where Twilight spent most of her time.<p>

It was late in the afternoon when Twilight, feeling frustrated after a fruitless magic lesson, went for a walk to clear her head and came upon Ash sitting near the edge of the black glass crater outside of town. He seemed to be staring into space as his left hand idly traced invisible shapes in the air, his fingers wiggling in a complicated-looking dance. Twilight approached quietly, not wishing to disturb him but curious at the same time, and was startled when his hand suddenly clenched into a fist and dropped into his lap and he asked, "Can I help you Twilight?" without even looking her way.

"Maybe," Twilight said, taking a seat next to him, "what are you doing out here?"

"Thinking," Ash said simply, "reevaluating my life again now that the stage has changed." Twilight nodded in understanding, and then winced a headache made itself known above her eyes. Ash noticed and commented, "Magic potential overload again? Is your study of Valden magic still not going well?"

"I just can't understand where they're coming from," Twilight grumbled, bring her knees up to her chest so she could rest her head on them, "That is, academically it makes a kind of sense, but I can't even form a connection to the wands they're having me use."

"Maybe if you held it up to your head and pretended it was a horn," Ash said, placing the back of his hand against his forehead and bringing his fingers together into a blunt point. Twilight gave him a dubious look, and then snorted in laughter at the mock-serious expression on his face. "Ok, jokes aside, try this," Ash said, placing one finger on the ground between him and Twilight, "copy what I do and say and picture the power flowing out of you." He drew a triangle in the dirt, reciting, "Fire, Air, and Light."

"Fire, Air, and Light," Twilight repeated, drawing a triangle of her own.

"Water, Earth, and Dark," Ash said, drawing a second triangle over the first, but pointing in the opposite direction. Twilight emulated him, and then he made a dot in the middle of the overlapping triangles and said, "Aether to link, and release." He tapped the dot and the sigil glowed orange for a few seconds.

"Aether to link, and release," Twilight echoed, drawing and tapping her own dot. She felt a tingle run along her skin from her head, down her arm, and through her finger as the six-sided star she'd drawn glowed magenta and the headache faded away.

"Looks like you could have been a Weave Mage like me," Ash said with approval, "Tell me, what do you see?" He began to slowly wave his hand in front of him, his fingers resuming the curious dance from before. Twilight watched for a few moments, and then shrugged with a confused look on her face. "Nothing?" Ash asked, "No glows, no lines, no odd sounds or scents without a source?"

"Nothing like that," Twilight answered.

"You lack the Mage Sight then," Ash said nonchalant, "That's fine. I wasn't really expecting you to have it, since it's unnecessary for Unicorn magic."

"Oh," Twilight said in disappointment, "For a moment there I was hoping you could teach me. Heh, it's funny how the tables are turned now; you're the magical master and I can barely make things glow."

"Not so much," Ash said, raising an eyebrow, "You were my better in Equestria simply because in spite of all my knowledge of magic, you and every other pony with a horn on their head were hogging all the energy."

"Excuse me?" Twilight said, not sure if she was being insulted or something.

"You heard me," Ash said with a smirk, "Out of everything Discord's done, I do have to thank him for leading me to that little revelation."

"What did he say?" Twilight asked, suspicious.

"Nothing," Ash said, "He offered to help me get around my magical handicaps but I turned him down. Instead, to try and tempt me, he lifted whatever veil was preventing me from seeing the threads of elemental energy flowing through Equestria. Those threads, also known as streams, ley lines, and a myriad other things, are the source of all magical power. As a Weave Mage, my magic comes from redirecting and weaving those threads together; it's the most elemental and potentially powerful kind of magic I know of, especially in my hands. The thing is, however, _all_ magic affects the threads in some way or another and when a spell is active, all the threads connected to it become highly resistant to use by another mage in the vicinity."

"What does that have to do with unicorns?" Twilight asked, "It's not like we're constantly casting spells, and I somehow doubt that levitating things can lock up that much power for you."

"True on both counts," Ash said, "however, you don't cast spells by manipulating the threads around you. You do it by channeling energy inside of you and imposing it on other things. That energy can't come from your life force, or you'd starve to death after a big spell or a long session of even simple levitation. No, that power comes from somewhere else, and once I could see the threads the answer was obvious: just by existing you draw the threads near you into yourself and store up the potential energy for later use. Now, just one unicorn or even a small town's worth wouldn't be enough to make my Weaving noticeably difficult, but when there are entire cities with significant unicorn populations all across Equestria, and you take into account the Princesses who have enough power stored up to keep the cycle of day and night going constantly…"

"I think I understand," Twilight said, nodding, "But then, what about Thamule? He was very powerful, and I don't recall seeing him wear that magic enhancing necklace of yours."

"Discord," Ash said, "You know what he's capable of; bending the rules of magic for one of his creations would be child's play even if he is still mostly sealed up."

"Do you think he still is?" Twilight asked, looking up toward where she thought the portal was.

"I sure hope so," Ash replied soberly, "Although, if Celestia and the others are still holding out hope for your return – you and the other Elements of course – it may take Discord breaking completely free to convince them to seek out new Bearers. And with unbridled and twice-bitten Chaos covering Equestria, that won't be a fun hunt."

Twilight frowned deeply as she continued to stare into the sky. "Ash," she said at last, "are you absolutely certain there's no chance we can get back to Equestria?"

"Magic can do very impressive things Twilight," Ash answered, "but you know as well as I do that even it has limits. If conditions were different, if there wasn't at least a mile of empty air between the portal and hard, black ground, I'd do my best to send you girls home."

"There has to be some way," Twilight said with stubbornness, "maybe if we worked together. One of us levitates everyone and the other handles the portal."

"And how long would it take you to get to the point that you could move all that mass to such a height?" Ash asked, "Might as well build a staircase up to it; it would take just as long, be just as dangerous, use up too many resources, and by then who knows what kind of Equestria we'd find waiting for us?" He stood up and turned, stretching an arm out to point toward the south. "A far better use of our time might be to find the portal between Valden and… What in the world?" Just over the horizon was a dark speck flying through the air, growing gradually larger as Ash and Twilight watched it.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know," Ash said, "but it's getting closer and I'm pretty sure it's much bigger than the average bird. Come on, we better alert the town. Better over-prepared for nothing than unprepared for danger."

* * *

><p>"Shining, let me come with you. What if he comes after me because of your choice?"<p>

"I'm not leaving you unprotected my love. You'll have the guards and all of Ponyville with you. The royal family shouldn't all be in one place anyway; do you want Blueblood becoming regent _pro tempore_ if something happens?"

"Very well then. Be safe my dear Shining Armor, and let my love be your strength."

* * *

><p>Overlook was on alert as the mysterious flying object continued to approach. Most of the townsfolk were indoors, ready to throw up barricades if necessary, while the town militia and other brave souls took up watching positions on the rooftops. The Order-naries were set up on top of the Traveler's House, accompanied by Rainbow Dash, who was armed with a crossbow she'd somehow gotten her hands on, and Twilight.<p>

"Does anyone remember whether Valden has dragons or not?" Ray asked.

"That's no dragon Soul," Rainbow Dash replied, gesturing with the crossbow, "We should be seeing its wing-beats by now."

"Be careful with that!" Carmilla snapped, grabbing the crossbow and forcing it to point down at the roof, "Never point a loaded weapon like this at anything unless you intend to shoot it."

"Sorry," Rainbow groused, rolling her eyes. Carmilla narrowed her eyes and checked the safety before wresting the weapon from the rainbow-haired girl's hands.

"Whoever let you have this is an idiot," Carmilla said angrily.

"Fine, then, I'll just sit here and keep being useless," Rainbow muttered darkly, "I want my wings back."

"Enough you two," Ash said, "Can PC get a reading on it yet?" Carmilla cast one last warning glance at Rainbow before turning her attention, and PC's scanner, in the direction of the UFO.

"Just barely," she said, "he's repeating the scan cycle until he gets something definite. Looks like… it's metal? Yep, definitely metal."

"Huh," Ash said, confused, "That's a bit beyond the local tech…"

"More than 'a bit' Ash," Carmilla said, "PC's calculating this thing's moving at something close to jetliner speeds."

"What's a jetliner?" Rainbow asked.

"Something that might be able to match your average airspeed," Ray said flippantly, and then blanched and quickly added, "Er, I mean… Rachelle, why haven't you smacked me yet?"

"You're doing fine on your own," his sister said teasingly.

"Don't worry," Rainbow said glumly, "It's not like it's your fault anyway. What's so odd about that thing flying so fast?"

"Because it's not a creature," Carmilla said.

"And nothing in Valden could've built something that flies, period," Ash added.

"Even a hot air balloon?" Twilight asked, "I only ask because one of those could probably get us-"

"Up to the portal," Ash finished for her, smiling broadly, "Yes, that should be feasible. Still, that thing out there is way beyond the local tech…"

"Then where could it have come from?" Rachelle wondered.

"Well, when it gets closer enough to make out details, we should be…" Carmilla trailed off and read the display on PC's eyepiece again, slack-jawed. "Ash," she said, taking the computer off her head and handing it to the mage, "You might want to take a look at this. He's already found a configuration match."

Ash raised an eyebrow and looked at the UFO, which was now close enough to make out as shaped vaguely like a wedge or an arrowhead and was definitely headed in the direction of Overlook. "Alright PC," he said as he set the computer on his head and adjusted everything to fit, "Give it to me straight and simple, for once." He rolled his eyes as PC retorted in typical fashion through the earpiece, and then read the displayed text and stiffened. "You're sure?" he asked. PC replied in the affirmative. "That's… worrisome."

"What?" Ray asked, squinting at the distant object, "Wait… it's starting to look familiar."

"Its configuration is a close match to the Shadowstar scout and transport class of spacecraft," Ash said.

"You mean, the _Lirin_?" Rachelle asked, incredulous.

"No," Ash said with a shake of his head, "It's not an exact match. PC can't identify it; it's strikingly similar to the _Lirin,_ but the exact configuration isn't in his database."

"Hey," Rainbow Dash cut in, "mind clueing me in? Do you know what it is or not?"

"Possibly," Ash said, keeping his eyes on the aircraft, "When I fled from the Shadowstar Empire, I did so in a long-range transport ship known as the _Lirin_. When I reached Taryn, the ship acted as my home, headquarters, and primary transportation for my mercenary work. The one approaching us now is the same kind of ship, but PC doesn't recognize it. The _Lirin_ was unique on Taryn, so right now I can only assume it's a new model from Shadowstar."

"But if it's here," Carmilla said, fear starting to fill her face, "then, doesn't that mean Taryn…?"

"They'd have to have moved impossibly fast to have reached and conquered Taryn," Ash said, heading to the hatch leading down inside the Traveler's House, "Unless we've been gone from there a lot longer than we've thought. More likely it's part of a group dispatched to locate me, and luck decided to… well, to say 'smile on them' seems woefully inadequate. Luck didn't just smile on or favor this craft, it took it by the hand and drew it a _skvetchte_ map!" He laughed sardonically and opened the hatch. "At any rate," he said as he climbed in, "Even one scout ship's worth of Shadowstar soldiers will be too much for Overlook's militia. I'll head them off; I'm too high-profile a fugitive to pass by. Anyone who wants to be certain I won't die or be captured is welcome to join me."

"Well, this is a change Ash," Carmilla said, "not just accepting of your fate for once?"

"Madam deGrange," Ash said, sticking his head back up out of the hatch to give her a confident smile, "it is long past time I started living up to my dream of fighting against the Shadowstar. Are you with me?"

Carmilla smiled and hefted the crossbow. "You have my bolts," she said.

"And our Soul Magic," Ray said, clapping his sister on the shoulder, "but only if you don't dispute that it is magic." Rachelle rolled her eyes and gave Ray an affectionate smack upside the head.

* * *

><p>The Order-naries, accompanied by Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow, made it about half a mile outside of town before the spaceship drew too close for comfort and had entered a descending path. It was shaped somewhat like a brick with rounded-off corners, a wedge-shaped front end, and with wide wings near the back. The hull was an odd, seemingly patternless mixture of off-white, black, and dull metal grey in color. "No external weapons," Ash noted with interest, "That's appropriate for a transport craft, but you'd think this would be a scout…"<p>

"I'll take yer word for it,' Applejack said dryly, watching as the ship neared and seemed likely to pass far overhead, "and I hope ya have a plan fer gettin' its attention."

"Of course," Ash said. He flicked his wrist and a large card appeared in his hand. Gripping it between two fingers, he pointed toward the ship and focused his magic, causing the card to start glowing. After a moment of charging, he wound up and threw the card, which took off like a rocket and expanded into a ball of yellow energy. It struck and splashed across the bottom of the ship, jolting it upward and sending it into an unsteady wobble until its pilot regained control. Ash summoned up another card as the ship seemed to hesitate for a second and then accelerated away before banking into a wide turn. "Perfect," Ash said, smiling.

"That was impressive," Twilight said.

"Pre-woven spell cards," Ash explained, holding the card out so Twilight could see the complex sigil drawn on it, "they let me bypass a lot of the preparation time for combat spells I tend to use a lot, and almost anyone who can focus magic energy can use them. Here." He summoned up another card and handed it to Twilight. "That one's similar to your stun and anti-Changeling blast," he said, "just point it and focus and it'll do the rest." Twilight nodded and pointed the card straight ahead. The card glowed as she concentrated and then knocked her back as a barrage of orange energy blasts shot out. "It's… normally only supposed to shoot one at a time," Ash said, a bit awestruck. Twilight chuckled in embarrassment as she stood up and everyone turned their attention back to the ship, which was approaching for a landing. It slowed to a hover several yards in front of the group, turned so that the entry hatch on its port side was facing them, and then extended four landing struts and settled to the ground. The Order-naries tensed, readying to attack as the hatch slid out and lowered down into a ramp, and the former ponies dropped into something approaching fighting stances of their own. After a moment, a figure walked into view from inside the ship and stepped out onto the ramp, a balding male human with an eye-patch and a prominent scar on his face, dressed in sturdy jeans, long-sleeved shirt, and shoes, and holding his strong work-callused hands up and palms outward.

"Easy there kids," he said with a trace of amusement, "I come in peace."


	24. Chapter 8: Departure

Carmilla's crossbow dropped from her senseless fingers as she and the other Order-naries stared at the man in the ship in incredulous shock. Carmilla was the first to recover, and a broad joyous smile lit up her face as she sprinted up to him with a cry of "Master!" The others were shaken out of their stupor by the shout and the twins ran to join their friend in hugging and greeting the newcomer. Ash simply rocked back and put a hand to his head as he vocalized his surprise in quiet, alien mutters.

Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were, understandably, utterly and completely confused. "Hey, Ash," Rainbow said, poking Ash in the shoulder, "What's up? I thought this ship thing was supposed to be a bad thing."

"I thought it was," Ash replied, "but… Well, that's Carmilla's mentor, a very reliable ally and something of a legend among the mechanics and tool-smiths of Taryn, but how he's here and where he…" He shook his head and walked toward the ship, meeting the man and the other Order-naries a few feet from the ship. "Yu-san Maesi," Ash said, spreading his arms wide to indicate the craft, "I have just three words for you: What. The. _Skeb_?"

"Good to see you too Ash," Yu-san said wryly, extending a hand to shake and then clapping it onto Ash's shoulder when the mage maintained his spread-arms pose. "So, I assume you're still after Tau'rin," he said.

"Tau'rin's history Yu-san," Ray said, "it's been close to a year now since we defeated him."

"Ah, I see. Good," Yu-san said, looking relieved, "In that case I'm your ticket back home." He looked around at the Order-naries and then noticed Twilight, Dash, and AJ standing a short way off. "And who are those capable-looking ladies?" he asked.

"Friends," Ash said simply, "You still haven't given me the answer I was looking for Maesi." He spun the older man around and pointed to the ship. "What the _skeb_ is that?" he asked.

"What, don't you recognize your old ship?" Yu-san asked with a teasing smirk.

"That is not the _Lirin_," Ash replied.

"Yes it is. Mostly," Yu-san said, "It's been upgraded since you last saw it."

"Clearly," Carmilla said, "There's no way the old thing could have survived a trip through… twelve separate trips between realities. In fact…" She took a few steps back toward the ship and eyed it critically, "It looks to be in superb shape; no signs of having crashed into anything. Master, were you able to remain conscious while flying through the voids?"

"Yes," Yu-san answered, "Is that significant?"

"Yes," the Order-naries all said at once, emphatically.

"How did you…" Ash started to ask, and then shook his head and said, "Actually, you know what? Carmilla, give me PC. He'll need to familiarize himself with the changes anyway."

"Hey now, I want to see Master Maesi's improvements too," the mechanic said, retaining the head-mounted computer and walking to the ship.

"You're not leaving us out either," Ray said as he and his sister joined Ash in following Carmilla. Yu-san Maesi smiled wistfully, and then looked at the three former ponies and gave them an apologetic shrug before going to the ship himself.

"Ok," Twilight said, feeling awkward, "I guess we'll just head back to town and tell everypo- er, every_body_ there's nothing to worry about then?"

"I suppose," Applejack agreed, shrugging.

* * *

><p>Canterlot castle was eerily still and quiet, and what made it even worse was that Shining Armor could see no reason for the silence. There were no signs of struggle, no damage to the walls, floors, ceiling, or furnishings. Nothing that should have been locked was open, and vice versa. There wasn't even a feeling of latent magic beyond that which was always present due to the auras the Princesses left in their wake. It was as if every single pony in the castle had quickly finished up what they were doing and went home for the day. The guards were just as absent as the servants and courtiers, and Shining <em>knew<em> the ponies that served under him would never abandon their posts, especially in emergency conditions. "I need a weapon," he muttered to himself, casting glances everywhere as he made his way toward the residential wing. The Princesses's chambers were some of the most heavily warded rooms in the palace against mind manipulation spells, the type Shining Armor was starting to suspect had been laid over the building even if he couldn't sense them, and thus they'd be the most likely place to find anypony.

The sound of hooves approaching – softened by carpeting and special shoes but still audible to his trained ear – brought Shining to a stop. He let his ears tilt about to determine the direction and then continued to move them for a bit afterward to not let his stalker know he'd been detected. Readying his magic into a simple shield, Shining waited until the sounds drew closer before whirling around, snatching a nearby vase in his magic, and shifting the shield into an outward magical thrust that broke the cloaking spell on the pony tailing him and sent the white, yellow-maned unicorn stallion stumbling back several paces. "Blueblood!" Shining Armor exclaimed with a mixture of relief and annoyance, lowering the vase, "What are you doing?"

"Captain Armor," Blueblood replied levelly, "So it is you. What are _you_ doing here, might I ask? Weren't you down in that… garish little Ponyville looking for your sister?"

"I was lead to believe there was going to be trouble here," Shining said coolly, "and since you're the first pony, or rather the first living thing I've encountered here I'm inclined to believe it's true. What happened?"

"I don't know," Blueblood answered, gesturing down the hall in the direction of Celestia's suite, "I was in conference with Princess Celestia when we felt a foreign suggestion trying to get into our heads. I looked out into the hall and saw everypony heading for the nearest exit, and nothing I said had any effect on them. The Princess sent me to search for the culprit."

"Alone?" Shining asked, pursing his lips, "Well then, I'm going to check in with Princess Celestia and Luna. You keep up the good work, and by the way: the sun shines silver."

"Pardon?" Blueblood asked, confused for a second, "Oh! The security phrases, right, good idea. Uh… 'When the moon needs rest,' correct?"

"Yes, that's valid," Shining said with a nod, and then levitated the stallion off the ground and encased him in a shield bubble, adding, "But that was the Pegasus Guard counter-sign, not Blueblood's. You should have done your research better, changeling."

"Changeling?" the white unicorn exclaimed, his voice losing the regal tone of Blueblood in favor of a plainer accent as his eyes began to glow red, "Is really that what you think I am Captain Armor? How disappointing, I think you'd know better, the difference between a Changeling and a disguise spell."

"Well, you're no pony," Shining retorted.

"Oh, most astute," Thamule said sarcastically, "did you finally bother reading the memo about the Order-naries?"

"You are not Ashen Blaze either," Shining said with calm determination, adding more power to the confining bubble, "What you are doesn't really matter anyway; you're under arrest for assault, pony-napping, suspicion of murder, and treason if I can manage it, all on multiple counts."

Thamule let his Blueblood disguise drop completely as he stared defiantly at the Captain of the Guard, his eyes a dangerous mix of orange and red. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, little equine," he said as his horn began to glow with an opaque light that filled the bubble, "Pray you survive long enough to learn." Shining recognized the warning in the words just in time to put up a personal shield that dulled the force of the explosion that tore apart Thamule's cage enough to simply send him tumbling head-over-tail down the hall. He regained his feet with practiced ease and kicked at the floor challengingly as he readied himself for battle.

* * *

><p>Matron Maha had wisely decided not to wait on the Order-naries at dinner time, as the quartet did not return to the Traveler's House until after the sun had sank below the horizon. When they did arrive, accompanied by Yu-san Maesi, they found the six Equestrians still sitting in the dining room, most of them looking like they'd lost a pet puppy. Rainbow Dash was the only exception, since she looked like she expected that puppy to come jogging back at any moment. Rachelle was the only one to notice the mood at first, since the rest were caught up in an on-going discussion between Ash and Yu-san about the status of the <em>Lirin<em>.

"I will not pay for modifications I did not request," Ash was saying, "especially when those modifications were made with help of someone I explicitly and repeatedly refused to grant that degree of access to."

"If you don't want to accept my help, I'll have no problem leaving you here to find your own way home," Yu-san retorted.

"That is not what I'm saying," Ash fired back, "Do not twist my words Maesi. I'm extremely grateful and impressed at the effort you've gone through, but I am under no obligation to recompense you for a project that you came up with on your own and just so happened to involve my property."

"He does have a point Master," Carmilla said, looking apologetic for saying the words, "If anything, you owe him for using the _Lirin_ as the base."

"What… Kara," Yu-san sputtered, surprised.

"I'm sorry Master Maesi," Carmilla said, "I have to side with Ash on this one. Trying to make money off of this is pure extortion."

"So, it's true then?" Fluttershy asked in a meek but attention-getting voice, "You're leaving us?"

"What?" Ray and Ash asked at the same time. They waited patiently as Fluttershy went through her usual flinch and nerve gathering routine.

"Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack told us everything," she said, "The strange airship and its pilot, they're – Oh!" She stopped and blushed as she realized who the new face in the room was. "You," she said, looking into Yu-san's good eye, "you're from their home world, right? Taryn? You came to find them and take them back home. Twilight said you were all so excited to see the ship and…"

"My name is Yu-san Maesi, dear," the old man said.

"I'm Fluttershy," the pink-haired girl mumbled automatically, "but… um…"

"We were worried that you'd fly off home," Twilight cut in, "without saying goodbye. At least I was partly wrong."

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "They're not going anywhere," she said, "I don't believe for a second that they'd just run off and leave us hanging. Especially not you Ash; there's no way you're going to let some evil Discord-pony run around Equestria doing stuff while wearing your face, right?"

"Not a snowball's chance in the desert," Ash said, giving the table an emphatic pound of his fist, "You girls and your world have been far too good to me for me to just run off in your time of need, and I've got a bone to pick with Discord. Yu-san managed to get the _Lirin_ all the way here, so it can certainly make the last jump to the end of Tau'rin chain, and together we'll stop Thamule and Discord once and for all." The girls cheered, the relief and joy clear even on Pinkie's face. "That said," Ash said soberly, "Carmilla, the M'Dales, and I have a way back to our home and an obligation to protect it. After we've settled with Discord, the four of us will have to leave."

"I can understand that," Applejack said, nodding, "nothin's more important than home and family."

"Will it…" Rarity said, her eyes locked on Ash, "be forever?"

"Nah," Ray said flippantly, "the portals haven't closed all the way yet and there's no reason to think they ever will. We'll visit. Besides, we've still got an adventure or two to get through before the goodbyes, so cheer up everypony."

"Right then," Rainbow said, standing up quickly and managing to make needing to catch the table edge for balance look intentional, "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"There might be one little complication," Ash said, pre-empting the enthusiasm once again, "The _Lirin_ is now designed to shield itself against the sheer nothing of the void between dimensions so that whoever is inside the ship doesn't lose consciousness or control before emerging from the other end. That's undoubtedly a good thing, but it seems to have the side effect that any… shifts the universe needs to apply to those that enter it don't happen."

"Meaning?" Twilight asked.

"Well," Ash said, "does anyone recall me mentioning that… I think it's three or four worlds Taryn-wise from here is another universe populated by intelligent ponies?" Twilight nodded and the others simply looked intrigued. "Right," Ash said, "Well, Yu-san here flew straight through that world without undergoing any changes."

"To be clear," Yu-san cut in, his tone skeptical, "I was only in that world for about thirty minutes, since the portals were so close together, and I don't recall seeing any rainbow-colored ponies anyway."

"Trust us Yu-san," Ray said, slightly sardonic, "they exist."

"So, what are you saying?" Twilight asked, "If we use your ship to get back to Equestria, we won't turn back to normal?"

"The possibility is there," Ash said with a nod, "The only way to be absolutely sure you'll change back is to go back through the portal the same way you went into it in the first place: unshielded."

"But, it's so high up," Fluttershy said, "how do we reach it?"

"I guess the hot air balloon idea is valid again," Twilight said, "but we'd still have to get the portal open."

"The _Lirin_ should be able to handle that, I would think," Ash said, giving Yu-san an expectant look.

"It's possible," the old man said, "but keeping a portal open longer than it takes for the ship to fly through herself would be a serious drain on the power reserves. We could manage maybe ten seconds at most while still being able to fly, assuming we start on a full charge."

"I hate to rain this parade," Rarity said, "but I must remind everyone that the last time we were sent through that portal – unprotected – we were out cold for almost an entire week."

"That only applied to you six inter-dimensional rookies," Ray said with a smirk, "and which risk would you rather take: losing a little time or potentially remaining human and missing out on your pony talents?"

"That depends," AJ said, "Y'all _are_ coming along, ain't ya? Are ya gonna go through it alongside us, or inside yer fancy flying metal box?"

"We'll be there and do our best to wake you up as quickly as possible," Rachelle said.

"All right then," Applejack said, getting to her feet, "Let's starting building us a balloon."

* * *

><p>Throughout the rest of the day the Order-naries called in favors, a commodity often valued more than coin in outskirt Valden towns like Overlook, and extended some of their own to help the former ponies gather the materials and tools they'd need to construct a hot air balloon. The next morning dawned to a bustle of activity near the crater as Rarity applied her talents to constructing the balloon itself from the gathered cloth with assistance from Pinkie and Fluttershy, while Twilight, Dash, and AJ tried their hands at building the basket. At the same time, the Order-naries and Yu-san were preparing the <em>Lirin<em> for take-off and re-familiarizing themselves with skills and battle strategies they hadn't used in a while due to the limitations of pony form and simple lack of need for them. The practicing quickly evolved into a sparring match between Ash's magic and the M'Dale twins's spirit power, with Gale standing off to the side with a crossbow she'd already grown perfectly accustomed to. She leaned against the side of the _Lirin_ with a sigh of envy, something she hadn't felt in a very long time toward her three mystically-gifted friends.

Yu-san, hearing the sigh as he came out onto the access ramp, looked at her with concern, and then gave himself a flick on the forehead as he recalled something. "Kara," he said, using his personal nickname for her, "I just remembered, I have something for you."

"Oh?" Carmilla asked, "what?"

"Come on in here and I'll show you," Yu-san answered with a beckoning gesture. Carmilla followed him inside and toward the rear of the spacecraft, to the storage compartments. "I wasn't sure what kind of condition I'd find the four of you in when I finally caught up," Yu-san said, "so I decided to prepare for the worst case I could stomach: You'd still be fighting Tau'rin, but you would have lost your best equipment or had it wear out. When it turned out you'd already beaten Tau'rin, I forgot all about this, but since you seem to have found yourself a new patch of trouble to uproot…" He opened a storage compartment and lifted out a weapon that looked like a short bazooka with a small air compressor attached to the rear end. Carmilla's eyes went wide as she took it and balanced it in her hands. "Master Maesi," she said in amazement, "This is… Did you make this? Because it feels like _my_ handiwork!"

"I made sure to take my time perfecting it," Yu-san said with a smile, "and that's not all of course. A Gel Launcher's no use without its ammunition, right?" He reached back into the compartment and took out a large plastic container with three compartments, a branching hose that would connect to the gel launcher, and straps so it could be worn on the back. Carmilla carefully set the launcher down so she could open each compartment in the pack. Each compartment was filled with slightly amorphous balls of gel perfectly sized for the launcher's barrel, each set a different color.

"Oh my gosh," Carmilla said, her smile growing larger, "Shock, Caustic, and Magebane gels! Master, this is… Thank you!" She grabbed her mentor in a huge hug, and then put the pack on, linked the hose to the launcher, triggered it to load a Magebane gel, and walked out onto the ramp and took aim at the sparring match in the distance. "Hey Ash!" she shouted just before pulling the trigger, "heads up!"

* * *

><p>By the time Ash got over his chagrin at having his sparring match interrupted by flying Magebane, the hot air balloon had been constructed and proven capable of lifting eleven humans off the ground with ease. Since Twilight's magic ability was effectively absent, the girls had hired one of Overlook's magi to handle the spells to fill and control the balloon, in exchange for giving the balloon to the magus and copies of the blueprints to the town's artisan guilds. The plan was for the balloon to fly up to just below the portal's location and wait for the <em>Lirin <em>to open it, and then quickly get as close as possible to the event horizon, whereupon the girls would jump through as quickly as possible. The _Lirin_ would then wait a second or two before flying through itself, to avoid possibly overtaking and colliding with the six mid-flight.

As Ray, Rachelle, and Carmilla took their seats inside the spacecraft, Ash headed for the cockpit, only for Yu-san to come up from behind and take the pilot's seat for himself. "Excuse me," Ash said sarcastically, "I _can_ fly this thing and I've got you beat in the depth perception department." He clapped a hand over one eye to simulate Yu-san's eye-patch.

"You're coming with us Yu-san?" Ray asked.

"Yes," Yu-san replied smoothly, "and while you have a point Ash, I know how to work the new portal system, and I've come this far with one eye and no crashes, _thank_ you very much."

"Ok, whatever," Ash said, throwing up his hands and sitting down in the co-pilot's seat, "Let's just get this over with." Yu-san nodded with satisfaction and began the start-up systems.

"Say," Ray said as the ship rose into the air, "seeing as we're about to do something with high risk and potential to be awesome just as the first step to saving the world, I think a certain battle cry is in order."

"All together?" Ash asked.

"Why not?"

"As we enter the breach then."

The _Lirin_ flew into position and waited as the hot air balloon rose up to meet it. Yu-san activated the portal device – a spelled talisman in the nose of the craft triggered by electricity – and a gaping, blue rimmed void of pure black snapped open. Twilight and company threw a suddenly terror-frozen Fluttershy into it and then leaped through as a group. "Ok," Yu-san said as the magus in the balloon brought it down and out of the way, "here goes." He hit the forward thrusters and the ship shot into the void as it began to collapse back on itself.

As one, the Order-naries cried out, "_Koma Kiyaski!_"

**End of Act III**


	25. Act IV: Ch1 Many Happy Returns

Deep in the Everfree Forest, far from the abandoned road to the ancient Castle of the Pony Sisters, there was a vast clearing ringed with felled and torn-apart trees. The clearing had been created shortly after the chaos demon Tau'rin emerged from the void into Equestria. Since that time, the forest had been slowly reclaiming the clearing, starting with flowers and underbrush plants until the seeds of new trees could establish their holds. Recently, however, another force had imposed itself in the clearing, and nature had been pushed aside to make room for the strangest of fortress keeps, constructed rapidly by invisible power and integrating every known style of construction, and then some, in a random and haphazard style that maintained structural integrity through sheer will alone. The land in front of the fortress was filled with a garden of yellow flowers with vaguely heart-shaped petals which gave off a cloud of pollen with the slightest twitch. The clearing was still and quiet, for the creatures of the forest had learned quickly to avoid the new flowers and the disturbing atmosphere that hung over the area. For a long time, only the wind disturbed the clearing, until one day a fern rustled in a more determined manner as its fronds were pushed aside to permit a certain zebra to survey the clearing. Zecora had a long bamboo pole on her back, which she took in her mouth as she cautiously approached the Twisted Desire. She gazed with concern at the yellow plants, which looked to be withering away; whole patches of the field were clearly dead. Keeping her distance, she used the pole to prod some of the healthier-looking blooms near the edge and sighed as they discharged their pollen in reaction.

"If Ponyville did not have such a need, I would be glad to see these have not gone to seed," she said to herself, "but to repel the cave dogs may require a deterrent as potent as this Twisted Desire." She prodded a couple more flowers, puzzling over how to harvest and transport the flowers without being affected by their magic herself. Her musing was brought to an abrupt end when a thunderous crack echoed through the clearing as a gaping, jagged hole in space tore open and a metal object the size of a half-grown Ursa Major came flying out and crashed through the tops of several trees before pulling up above the canopy. Wind stirred up by the object's passing pounded the Twisted Desire and drew up a thick cloud of pollen. Zecora dropped her bamboo pole and bolted, chanting wards against evil in her native tongue as she outpaced the swelling pollen cloud and made for Ponyville. She passed her hut, ignoring the urge to go inside it and bunker down with the animals she was sheltering in favor of alerting her pony neighbors to the strange new thing that had come to the forest from parts unknown.

She soon reached the forest's edge and left by way of the road by Fluttershy's cottage. Due to the present crisis, any plans which may have been proposed to restore the little house in Fluttershy's memory had been put on hold and the location was too far from the town center for ponies to be hanging around in without a good reason, so when Zecora saw a bright and multi-colored mound near the chicken coop, she turned and went to investigate. As she drew near, she stopped with an incredulous gasp. Laying sprawled out and unconscious on the ground and over one another were Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. "What is this I see?" Zecora asked, "The lost Six have returned! How can this be?" Thinking, quickly, she untangled the six ponies from one another and then ran into Fluttershy's cottage to search for a first aid kit.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hull integrity optimal, barring some superficial scratching or negligible dents. The shields took all the impact from the trees and are now down to 21 percent. Quick preliminary scans indicate we have arrived in Equestria, somewhere over the Everfree Forest. Currently updating and synchronizing all relevant databases on the <em>Lirin."

"Thank you PC," Ash said. The half-helmet-shaped computer was wirelessly linked to the Lirin's computer which, while technically larger, was a far simpler system that mostly served as an extension of PC's memory and scanning capabilities. "Any sign of the Element Bearers?" Ash asked.

"_I detect only a single equine lifeform in the immediate vicinity_," PC responded promptly, "_Mobile and headed in the general direction of Ponyville at high speed. The most probable identification would be the zebra alchemist._"

"There are zebra alchemists now?" Yu-san Maesi asked, incredulous, "Are magic talking shetlands not enough?"

"_I have record of at least nine distinct sentient species in this world_," PC said, "_twelve if you consider the four types of ponies as distinct species rather than sub-catagories of the Pony species. Along with zebras, there are sentient cows, donkeys, griffons-_"

"That's enough PC," Ash said sharply, "get us pointed toward town and watch out for unusual magic signatures."

"_Calculating and uploading flight path_,_ sirrah_" PC said flatly.

"You're still putting up with sass from a computer, huh?" Yu-san asked Ash snidely. Ash just rolled his eyes and gestured for Yu-san to get on with flying the ship. The old man did so, bringing the ship around and following the heading PC provided. Within minutes, Ponyville became visible in the distance, and as they drew closer it became evident that something was seriously amiss. Long deep cracks and deep sinkholes broke up the roads and several buildings had either collapsed or sat askew on compromised foundations. Yu-san flew over the town as PC scanned for life, magic, and geologic activity. The damage was the greatest toward the northeast, the direction of the local gem fields, and PC detected non-pony life signs moving about in underground tunnels, while Ponyville's population seemed concentrated between the library and Sweet Apple Acres.

"Are we dealing with those Diamond Dogs here?" Ray asked after listening to the data.

"What reason would they have for attacking Ponyville?" Rachelle asked in turn, "I thought they preferred to be left alone."

"I don't know," Ash started to say, and then noticed a group of Unicorn Guards engaging Diamond Dogs as they emerged from a growing hole near the market. A squad of Pegasus Guards rose into the air from a nearby building, clearly intent on investigating the _Lirin_. "Hold us still Yu-san," he said, locking his eyes on the battle, "I'm going to give them a reason to think we're on their side before we show ourselves."

"Good plan," Ray said, "but, what is it exactly?"

"Observe if you wish," the mage said, reaching out both hands and starting to Weave. He frowned as he worked and narrowed his eyes in focus. "Bah," he said, "this is still like trying to braid high-tension wires… Come on… Ha!" He made one last broad gesture and then snapped his fingers. A sudden wind began blowing down into the hole the Dogs were emerging from, sucking those still inside deeper into their tunnels while the ground tilted to dump those on the surface into the hole. Once all the brutish canines were pulled under, the hole filled itself in and the dirt settled as if it had never been there in the first place. Ash sank back in his seat as he released the spell and wiped his brow. "I think I'm still gonna need to replace that _skvetchte_ necklace…" he panted, "Maesi, bring us down gently so I have time to catch my breath."

"Aye aye," Yu-san said.

As the ship descended, Carmilla got out of her seat and began equipping herself with the Gel Launcher. Outside, the guardsponies formed rings around the intended landing spot, keeping their distance and their weapons at the ready. The _Lirin_ settled to the ground and Ash and the twins got up to join Carmilla at the hatch while Yu-san powered down the shielding and thrusters. After a few minutes he put everything on standby and turned in his seat to look expectantly at Ash. Ash in turned looked at his team and got nods of readiness in return. "All right Yu-san," Ash said, adjusting his robe to sit properly on his shoulders, "Open her up." Yu-san hit the appropriate button and the hatch hissed as the airlock released. The Order-naries put on their most heroic looks as the hatch began to open, but just as the sunlight became visible through the gaps something knocked the four off their feet and they blacked out briefly.

"Ok, what the…" Ray trailed off as he went to rub his head and discovered his fingers had been swapped for a hoof and that he had a horn on his forehead. "Oh."

"You have got to be _kidding_ me!" Carmilla snapped indignantly, struggling to her hooves and out of the now ill-fitting Gel Launcher ammo pack, "I just got my signature weapon back and now..."

"GYYAAAH! What happened?"

"Oh yeah," Ray said, nonchalantly looking toward the cockpit, "Yu-san hasn't been a pony before." Carmilla gave him a dirty look and went to check on her master. He was still sitting upright in the pilot's seat, his shock apparently granting him sufficient balance as he held one hoof over his ruined eye and stared at the other forehoof with the good, bright amber eye. Like Carmilla, he had become an earth pony, albeit one of stockier build than his student. His coat was rusty orange and his mane – which covered only the back of his head – and tail were snow white, and on his flank was a hammer striking a piece of red-hot metal.

"Master Maesi, it's ok," Carmilla said, placing her hoof comfortingly on Yu-san's shoulder, "You'll get used to it."

"Kara," Yu-san said, turning his head to look at her in shock, "You… What magic is this?"

"Search me Master," Carmilla said, "This world apparently wants us to be ponies, and so that's what we are."

"Hey Gale," Ash called from the airlock, "Come back here please. I think we've got a problem."

"What sort of problem?" the brown earth pony asked, her mind automatically switching gears to her Equestrian persona. She trotted to the hatch and saw Ashen Blaze maintaining a shield to prevent a rather determined-looking pair of unicorn guard ponies from getting into the ship. Gale blinked in confusion at the scene and looked to the twins – Soul Mage and Gold Heart – for clarification.

It was Ash who provided the clarification though, in the form of a question: "Guess who I have the bad luck of resembling at the moment?"

"Ah," Gale said with a frown, "So… what?"

"You will surrender yourselves to us _now_," one of the guards said to Ash, his glowing horn pressed up against the grey unicorn's barrier.

"Give us a reason," Soul said, stepping forward. His horn lit up and sent out of lash of spirit energy through the barrier to push the guards down the ramp a ways. "Seriously," Soul said, "is this how you greet a fellow, no, two fellow members of the guard who just came back from the dead?" Heart took her cue and came to stand by her brother in front of Ash.

"And their friends," Ash added. He dropped the barrier as the twin golden-yellow ponies took charge of barring access to the ship.

"Soul Mage, Gold Heart," the lead guard said officiously, "stand down."

"With all due respect Sergeant Bastion," Soul replied coldly, "our duty to the Royal Guard is trumped by our need to stick by our fellow Order-naries, especially against false charges and breaches of justice."

"False charges?" Bastion exclaimed, "That pony you are protecting is responsible for… everything that's happened in the past week: the disappearance of the Elements of Harmony, the Diamond Dog attack on Ponyville and-"

"And us going missing as well?" Heart asked, raising an eyebrow, "Well, as you can see, we're back and we testify that the unicorn you are thinking of is not the one standing behind us."

"I second that motion!" Ash declared loudly. Heart glared over her shoulder at him and gave him a chastising kick in the shin.

"Don't try to help," she hissed, but the damage had already begun.

"Well now," Bastion said, charging up a spell, "from what I've witnessed, Ashen Blaze there's grown quite powerful lately. Who's to say he isn't holding you under some sort of mental control?"

"This," Gale said, dragging the gel ammo backpack closer to the hatch so as to be in plainer view. She then tried to open the pack, but her hooves kept fumbling on the catches. Ash, knowing what she was planning, tried to lend a telekinetic hand while fighting back the pride-preservation alarms in his head. As his horn lit up, however, Sergeant Bastion let his spell go and clipped Ash's ear with a stunner bolt.

"Ok, _enough_!" Heart shouted, stomping a hoof and eliciting a very satisfying reverberating clang from the _Lirin_'s floor. Once she had silence she walked purposefully down the ramp, wings fully spread and held at stiff upright attention. "Let's have decorum here gentleponies," she said, "You've stated your charges against Ash, Sergeant, and we have counter-claims in his defense, so let's be fair. The Order-naries will surrender-"

"Oi!" Ash and Gale exclaimed.

"_On condition_," Heart said, casting a sharp glance back at her friends, "The condition being that we get a chance to prove the validity of our claims before whoever is in charge at present."

Sergeant Bastion walked a short distance away and conferred with some other guards, casting dubious looks at the Order-naries every so often. Finally, he came back and conjured four sets of shackles. "You four are under arrest," he began, but cut off when Yu-san came stumbling into view from the cockpit, trying to keep his bad eye covered and walk at the same time. "Five then," Bastion began again, conjuring up another set of shackles.

"Those won't be necessary Sarge," Ash said impatiently, pushing past Heart and Soul to walk down the ramp, "Nor sufficient anyway; having been conjured by magic, they can't possibly hinder my vaunted magic enough."

"What is going on here?" Yu-san asked.

"Just follow us," Soul said, "I'm _pretty_ sure the matter's under control now. Oh, Ash, are you going to want to lock up the ship?"

"Hm? Oh, yes," Ash said, turning away from the guards coming to surround him. Once Gale had coaxed Yu-san out of the ship and everypony was off the access ramp, Ash spoke a few commands in his native language, the ship closed up tight. "Secondary pass-phrase," he told his team and then turned to look at Bastion and said, "lead on Sarge."

* * *

><p>The feeling of a cold wet cloth being placed on her forehead roused Twilight from the depths of unconsciousness, and the first thing she saw was Zecora's face. "Ah, so you too have rejoined the living," the zebra said, "what a joyous day of thanksgiving."<p>

"Good to see you too Zecora," Twilight said, lifting her head, "who else is up, and how long have we been out?" She looked around and saw that she was laying on a blanket on the floor of Fluttershy's cottage. Her five dear friends were close by, either getting to their hooves or laying on blankets of their own.

"Fluttershy's the only one still out of it," Rainbow Dash said, indicating the butter-yellow pegasus, "and as best I can tell we've only lost about twenty minutes or so."

"That's how long Zecora's been carin' fer us anyway," Applejack said, stretching her back, "Hoo-wee, does it feel good to be back ta mah old self again."

"I quite agree," Rarity said, delicately plucking frayed threads out of her blanket with her magic, just to see if she could. Twilight focused on her own horn and felt grateful relief flood through her as the familiar sensations of magic filled her mind.

"Ditto!" Rainbow agreed emphatically, preening her wings with great affection.

"Tel me, are things so bad in the land of the dead?" Zecora asked, "Your comments are filling me with dread."

"Nah, we weren't dead Zecora," Applejack said, "We just got sent somewhere else and into a different kinda body."

Twilight looked at Pinkie Pie, who was being uncharacteristically quiet again. The pink pony's coloring was a few shades too grey, her mane hung straight, limp, and barely reached the middle of her neck, and her tail was all but absent. "Are you ok Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked in concern.

"Oh dear," Rarity said, getting up to walk over and lay down next to Pinkie, "Your poor tail. Is this what that awful Thamule did to you? Tell us, please." Pinkie looked up as the others gathered around in concern, and then lay her head despondently down on her legs.

"He ruined Pin-the-tail-on-the-pony," she said, "forever…" She screwed her eyes shut as the group picked her up in a comforting group hug, but didn't resist. The five stayed like that until Fluttershy began shifting about and muttering, whereupon the hug broke up and Zecora went to coax the pegasus out of her sleep.

"Mmm… Angel…" Fluttershy moaned, "where…"

"Your little friend is safe in my home," Zecora said as Fluttershy opened her eyes, "recovering well from his broken bones."

"Oh, Zecora," Fluttershy said, smiling, "Hi. And thank you."

"It was the least I could do, my friend," Zecora said, "and I am glad to see you have not met your end. Although, you have returned to a land filled with fear, for from Ponyville the cave-dwelling dogs no longer steer clear. In my forest home all the creatures are still, and a strange metal thing has appeared with an unknown purpose to fill."

"Metal thing?" Twilight asked, "Did you see it? Was it long with a pointed front and stiff wings near the back?" Zecora nodded and Twilight grinned. "Don't worry about that Zecora; they're here to help. How are you all feeling girls?"

"Rarin' to go," Applejack said.

"Like a new pegasus," Rainbow said.

"Fine," Fluttershy said demurely.

"I am ready," Rarity said.

Pinkie simply stood up and nodded at the door.

"Ok," Twilight said, giving Pinkie a look of concern, "Let's go find the Order-naries." The six left the cottage and galloped into town. It didn't take long for them to locate the _Lirin_, and the guards stationed around it proved to be fairly helpful after getting over their surprise at seeing them alive and well. They informed the mares that the ship's occupants had been taken to the library for questioning, and so that became the next destination. It took a bit longer than usual to reach Twilight's home due to the destruction in the streets, but they soon arrived and brushed past the dumbstruck guards maintaining a perimeter around the tree. Twilight took the lead, unlocking the door and flinging it open dramatically with her magic. "Spike!" she shouted as she walked inside, "I'm back!" She froze mid-step at the tableau before her, which consisted of the Order-naries and a one-eyed, balding, rust-orange stallion being restrained by Cadance and a set of unicorn guards while Ash was trying to dislodge a very angry baby dragon from his head.

"Impeccable timing Twi," Ash said with forced casualness, "A little help here?"


	26. Chapter 2: The Tide Begins to Turn

Silence reigned in the library for several seconds as the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony filed into the library. It was broken briefly when Pinkie caught sight of Yu-san's bad eye, gasped, ran upstairs, and returned with an eye-patch for him. Once the eye had been properly covered, however, the awkward silence resumed for another few seconds with nopony moving a muscle.

"Twilight," Cadance finally said in disbelief, "Is that really you?"

"It is really us," Twilight answered levelly, "Now, Spike, everypony, just take a step away from one another; we're all on the same side."

"But," Spike said, bewildered, "He… you… and Rarity. Gone."

"I'm here now Spikey," Rarity said, levitating the mind-blown dragon off Ash's head and onto the ground, "and while I don't know what our _good friend_ Ashen Blaze here has tried to explain already, I think you should all just sit down and listen to what we have to say."

"Ok," Cadance said cautiously. She nodded at the guardsponies and they backed off from the Order-naries, who put a bit more distance between themselves and the guards and sat in confident silence. Twilight and company explained everything they knew, how Discord how somehow managed to embody Ash's dark side as a separate pony and let it loose on Ponyville to capture the Elements of Harmony and the Order-naries, how they'd been temporarily trapped in an alternate reality populated by bald ape-like creatures, and how Yu-san Maesi had arrived unexpectedly with a way to allow the exiles to return.

"However," Twilight said after concluding the tale, giving the five out-worlders a curious look, "it would appear there was an error in the theory that flying in on the ship would prevent you guys from turning into ponies again."

"It worked until we opened the door," Ash said with a rueful shrug. He then gave Cadance a grin and asked, "So, _Madonna _Cadenza, since you seem to be in charge, what say you?"

"That," the alicorn said slowly, "is a very incredible story. Too incredible in fact. I'm sorry Twilight. I want to believe you, but with all that's going on… I need to be sure you are who you say you are."

Twilight gave her sister-in-law a pained look, but then her ears perked back up as an idea came to her. "The Elements!" she exclaimed, "They won't work just anypony. Give me a second; I'll go get my tiara." She jumped up and trotted up the stairs.

"Wait," Cadance called after her, "It's not… up there… anymore." She frowned as Twilight ignored her and disappeared into the bedroom. A few moments later, Twilight emerged with her Element – a magenta gem shaped like a six-pointed star set into a golden tiara. Cadance's jaw dropped as the lavender unicorn descended the stairs and presented herself for inspection. The alicorn shook herself out of her stupor and probed Twilight and the tiara with her magic. "That's it," she said in amazement, "the sixth Element and… Oh Twily, it is you!" She caught Twilight up in a hug, her whole being radiating a joy that infected everyone present and lifted the air of suspicion right out of the room. "I can hardly believe it," Cadance said, releasing Twilight after a moment, "After Ash, or the evil Ash…"

"We're calling him Thamule for convenience," Soul offered.

"Thamule then," the princess said, "After he made off with Applejack and Rarity, we tried to find the Elements for safe keeping, but we came up empty-hoofed."

"This was right where I always keep it," Twilight said, tapping the tiara, "on a high shelf in my room, practically in plain sight. It's interesting actually; when I was trying to fight off Thamule he said he'd been trying to find Fluttershy's Element necklace but hadn't been able to, and I know Fluttershy keeps it in her nightstand. The jewels must have hidden themselves somehow when we were thrown out of Equestria, but now that we're back they'll be back too."

"Except mine," Applejack said glumly, "I was wearin' it when I tried ta save Rarity from Thamule, but I wasn't wearin' it when he threw me through the portal. He probably took it."

"Actually," Spike said, "after he got away with you we found your Element laying on the floor of the Carousel Boutique. I've been keeping it safe under my gem stash." He went into the kitchen and returned a moment later to hand the Element of Honesty to Applejack.

"You were keepin' it with the gems you _eat_?" AJ asked as she put the necklace on. The orange apple-shaped gem became noticeably brighter as it rested against her chest.

"It's not like I just shovel them into my mouth without looking," Spike retorted, "and I know better than to try biting into a gem that might be magic anyway." He grimaced, thinking back to when he'd been petrified after ignorantly trying to eat Tau'rin's Emerald of Earth

"Awright, no harm no foul little guy," Applejack conceded, giving the dragon an apologetic pat on the head. "Oh, by the way," she asked after a moment, "What did y'all do with my hat?"

"Your family has it," Cadance answered. AJ nodded gratefully.

"So," Ash said, looking at Cadance and her armored companions expectantly, "are we good now? You believe us? Then what's the situation, exactly? Don't leave anything out." When Cadance didn't respond immediately, he pressed on, "Come on m'lady, I didn't brave the infinite void to get back here just to tell you you've been blaming the wrong pony. I need to put that pseudo-_Meis_ in his place and- _mph!_" Heart cut off his tirade with a hoof to his mouth.

"Give the girl some time to process," the golden-yellow pegasus chided.

"Well," Cadance said after a moment, "Now that you're all back our other problems shouldn't be so bad. Thamule has somehow coerced the local Diamond Dog pack into staging repeated attacks against Ponyville, and I'm sure you've seen the results. They've tried to dig out the foundations of several buildings, and come to the surface every couple of hours to fight with insane fervor for several minutes before withdrawing. Their eyes are blank and they're nearly implacable until whatever clock they're working under runs down."

"What about Thamule himself?" Ash asked, "What has he been doing?"

"He hasn't been seen in town since Rarity and Applejack were taken," Cadance answered, her wings starting to fidget uncomfortably, "but yesterday, shortly after the Dog attacks began, Shining Armor and I received a note that convinced him that Thamule was threatening to try something against aunt Celestia. Shining went to Canterlot, and I haven't heard anything from him since."

"Oh no," Twilight said fearfully, "Ash, I have to go after him. If he tried to fight Thamule and lost…"

"Try to stay calm Twilight," Ash replied, taking an authoritative stance, "We'll get on that as soon as possible, but I don't want anypony going against Thamule without the full force of the Elements of Harmony backing them up. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow, and Fluttershy, go get your necklaces and meet me by the _Lirin_. In the meantime, I'll see what I can find out about these Diamond Dogs."

"Right," Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow said, turning to leave but then pausing when they realized Pinkie wasn't joining them.

"Uh, Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow said, poking the pink pony, "He said your name too."

"I heard," Pinkie said dully.

"Then let's go," Rainbow said, flying around to give Pinkie a push toward the door.

"We need you darling," Rarity said, "I know we can count on you." Pinkie just shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the floor. "Wait, I know what you need," Rarity declared brightly, "You haven't had any of your favorite baked goods in days! Let's go get some sugar into you." With help from Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, she got the pink pony up and out the door, heading for Sugar Cube Corner.

"I could go fer some of the Cake's cookies mahself," Applejack said, following the group, "Good luck with those oversized varmints Ash." The unicorn in question nodded in thanks and then looked around the room.

"So," he said, "Is there a pattern to the dog attacks, or do we need to go spelunking for them?"

Sergeant Bastion eyed him warily. "I don't like the notion of you being seen walking free by the civilians at the moment," he said.

"Even if I'm seen helping to stop the attacks?" Ash replied, giving the unicorn guard a sideways look. They held each other's gaze for a moment, and then Ash's eyes slid sideways in thought. "You may have a point though," he conceded, "I _was_ planning on not having to deal with mistaken identities and whatnot. Heart, Soul, Gale," he looked to his team, "take one of the Dogs prisoner and bring it and everything it's carrying here."

"Right-o boss," Soul said, and then turned to Bastion and came to attention adding, "If you'll have us, sir?"

"Join the patrols on the north side," Bastion said after some thought, "They strike around there the most often."

* * *

><p>The Great and Powerful Trixie and her troupe were officially broke, and Trixie was now fully convinced that she and Ponyville were a match made in Tartarus; for her to enter the town limits was to invite trouble and possible career destruction. However, between being out of money and supplies and the Diamond Dogs attacking anypony they saw, leaving just wasn't an option at the moment. Fortunately for the rag-tag thespians, Maggie Pie had proven her worth by arranging temporary employment at Sugar Cube Corner. The bakery stood as a candy- and gingerbread-themed bastion against both the physical attacks of the cave-dwelling canines and the emotional distress that followed. For the most part, the five ponies had been put in charge of keeping the customers orderly and distracted from their troubles through light entertainment, but Cabbage Patch spent most of her time in the kitchen helping with the baking.<p>

The current clientele consisted of half a dozen off-duty Guardsponies and just as many civilians, which was a surprisingly large number under the circumstances. Most ponies were more concerned with trying to protect their homes and businesses or rescuing what they could from ruined buildings, but every now and then a pony or two would wander through the door looking for sugar and a respite or head back out to brave the world again. Each unexpected ringing of the little bell on the door was greeted with a halt in activity as the occupants turned to identify the newcomers. The atmosphere was one of tension and worry, which Trixie and her crew fought to break through for their own benefit as much as for anypony else.

Trixie and Barnacle Salt were in the midst of an escalating war of outlandish bragging, to the amusement of the guards and Lyra, when the door was all but thrown open and a loud, brash, and far too cheerful voice asked, "What's hanging ponies? Can I get a couple rounds of cupcakes?" Eyes widened, jaws dropped, and a tray Mrs. Cake had just unloaded a fresh batch of sweet rolls from clattered to the floor as five mares, led by an unmistakable cyan pegasus, entered the bakery. "Yeah, you're seeing things right," Rainbow Dash said with a proud smile and a vain strut as she crossed the floor, "The Dash is back, too cool to stay dead."

"Really now Rainbow Dash," Rarity, rolling her eyes, "must you make such a spectacle of yourself?"

"Somepony has to," Rainbow replied lightly, "so why not me?" She looked around at the ponies who were still staring gob-smacked at her and the four ponies with her. "All right," she said, "somepony say something already. This isn't a museum."

Lyra was the first to recover her senses, although her eyes remained wide in disbelief as she stammered, "R-rainbow Dash?"

"The one and only," Rainbow replied in her typical attitude, and the braced herself as she, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack were mobbed by hugs and questions from the six non-guard customers. Pinkie Pie somehow managed to evade capture and began plodding solemnly toward the stairs, only to be intercepted at the foot by Maggie, who grabbed her in a big, tearfully joyful hug.

"Oh Pinkamina, I'm so glad you're ok," the grey earth pony said, "What happened to you?" When Pinkie didn't return the hug, Maggie held her out at arm's length and got a better look at her shortened and straight mane. "What _happened_ to you?" she repeated with worry, "I can't remember the last time I saw you so glum. Do you want to talk about it?" Pinkie muttered something inconclusive and Maggie escorted her over to an unoccupied table, where they were quickly joined by Mrs. Cake bearing a large slice of chocolate-frosted chocolate cake. In spite of herself, Pinkie's eyes started to sparkle as the sight of the cake and she began to eat it, savoring each huge bite as she took it. By the time she was done, a bit of curl had returned to her mane and she smiled at the motherly blue earth pony with gratitude. "Feeling better now Pinkie?" Maggie asked.

"A little, yes," Pinkie said, "I've had a _really_ bad time though. I'm scared I might never smile again… I mean _really_ smile." Maggie and Mrs. Cake both stifled a gasp and looked at each other.

"Maybe you just need more cake," Mrs. Cake said with a forced smile, and then walked off to go get some.

"Were Trixie's ears deceiving her," Trixie said, coming over to the table, "or did she hear the Element of Laughter saying she can't smile?"

"I may have been exaggerating just a teensy bit," Pinkie admitted, but a depressed frown creased her face as she let her head slump onto the table.

"I see," Trixie said, "it must have been really bad then, whatever happened to you. Trixie notices that Twilight Sparkle isn't with your group here…"

"She's at the library with Princess Cadance," Pinkie said, "She probably just didn't feel like having a sweet treat with company like me… Too random and unreliable."

"Now hold it right there pardner," Applejack said, excusing herself from the group that was listening intently to Rainbow Dash describing her experience in Valden and coming over to Pinkie's table, "Don't you start depressing yourself again. You should know better than to take anythin' at face value if it comes by way of Discord. Yer the best darn party-put'er-on in all of Equestria. Ponyville wouldn't even be half as bright and happy a place ta live in if it weren't fer you."

"Trixie wouldn't have lasted half as long in this town without your encouragement," Trixie said, "I remember how you didn't think twice about having my and Twilight's back when we were caught in that body-sharing incident, and then there was your enthusiastic volunteering before the Summer Sun Celebration. I wish every show had a pony like you in the audience. Or, the pony you normally are, rather."

Pinkie tried to respond, but before she could form the words Mrs. Cake came back with two slices of cake for her, which she ate with unusual delicacy as she thought.

"Pinkamina," Maggie sad as her sister chewed, "don't forget how many lives you've changed for the better by being the way you are. Susan and I may follow less exciting paths in our lives, but we always look to you as an example. You were the first of us to get your cutie mark after all."

Pinkie finished off one piece of cake contemplatively, and then hopped out of her chair to grab the ponies around her into a hug. Her mane sprang up into loose, frizzy curls, nowhere near as wild as normal but a significant improvement. "Thanks everypony," she said, "I feel lots better now."

* * *

><p>"Ashen Blaze, would you mind if I asked you a question?"<p>

"That depends on the nature of the question _Madonna _Cadenza," Ash replied, not looking away from the upper-story window he was gazing out of, "Ask."

"Your… double said he was being loyal to his original purpose at Rarity's home," Princess Cadance said, taking a seat next to Ash, "I assume he was referring to your past, so could you clarify what he meant?"

Ash pursed his lips for several moments before answering. "As _Meis Thamule_, despite my ability and status, I was nothing more than one piece in a vast and imbalanced chess game. While I directed the action on the front lines, the decision of which _Meis_ and cadre would go after which target lay solely with the Master of Shadowstar. The first time I truly took the initiative is when I fled the empire, stumbled upon Taryn by sheer luck, and consciously changed the purpose of my life. This Thamule has either accepted Discord as his 'new' master and is executing his will, or he's trying to do what would be expected of him in the Shadowstar Empire even though he likely thinks the Empire is destroyed."

"And what, exactly, would be expected?" Cadance asked.

"Three simple things," Ash said darkly, "Crush all resistance, subdue or destroy the government, and take control of the planet in the name of the Shadowstar."

"How likely is it that he'll succeed?" Cadance asked, worried, "assuming you, the Order-naries, and the Elements don't do anything."

"The _meis_ that failed its mission was useless to the Empire," Ash answered, "and as far back as I can remember, I've never seen a _meis_ be replaced. Of course," he added with a smirk, "I've never seen a _meis_ try to take on something powerful enough to control planetary orbits as their day job. Nor faced the sort of skills those kids are packing, for that matter." He pointed to the window and Cadance turned her head back to it and looked outside. Soul Mage and Gold Heart were returning to the library with a medium-sized Diamond Dog in a red vest held above their heads in the ethereal blue glow of their collective magic. Gale followed shortly behind them, favoring one leg and bearing a look of discomfort on her face. The group was being escorted within a ring of Royal Guards. The Dog struggled against the force holding him, but to little effect besides occasionally forcing the twins to slow down and refocus their effort. "I think I recognize that pooch," Ash murmured as he turned away from the window and headed toward the stairs.

In the main room, Twilight had also caught sight of the approaching group through a window and was holding the door open for Heart, Soul, and their load by the time Ash and Cadance arrived. Soul entered the library first, and then the twins carefully guided the Diamond Dog inside without letting him touch the ground or the doorframe. "One brainwashed sentient canine, as requested," Soul announced as Heart entered and the pair brought the dog to the center of the room for scrutiny."

"Brainwashed?" Ash asked, squinting at the dog.

"Yeah," Heart said, "Just look at its eyes; there's nothing there."

"They fight like full-blown berserkers too," Gale added as she limped over to lay down by a wall, "Just enough self-preservation instinct to repay whatever hits them two-fold."

"I've seen worse," Ash said, eyeing the struggling Dog up and down, "Berserk fighters that is. The spell-work on this guy is superb. He's completely covered with networked weaves inside and out; he might not even be aware that he's a puppet. Of course, every large and continuous spell has a weak point somewhere…" He poked and prodded the several areas of the Dog's body, and then started going through the pockets of his vest, levitating out a small collection of gem shards. Ash dropped the shards one by one of the floor until only a long, slim purple one remained floating in the orange aura of his telekinesis. "Spike," he said, floating the shard over to the baby dragon, "eat this."

"Excuse me?" Spike said, eyeing the unicorn suspiciously.

"At least bite it in half, please," Ash said.

"Nu-uh, no way," Spike said, pushing the gem shard away, "Not if it's got magic in it."

"Fine, make things more difficult for me," Ash grumbled.

"Not to complain too much," Soul said, evidence of strain in his voice, "but Red-vest here is getting heavy."

"Steady," Ash said, "We need to disrupt the matrix inside this –_whoa!_" The gem suddenly disintegrated as Ash applied his magic to it, and his horn flared briefly with magic feedback. He dropped the shard fragments and stared at them in stunned silence. Meanwhile, the Diamond Dog went limp and was lowered to the ground and released from Heart and Soul's weary grasp. Once freed of the spirit-magic, the canine sat up, looked around, and started to panic.

"No!" he exclaimed, "No ponies! What you want with me? I've done _nothing!_" He noticed Ash and his eyes narrowed in anger. "Wait," he growled, "You, pony with the weird eyes, you were skulking around our caves, and… But this isn't the caves… What's going on pony? Tell me."

"Why don't you start with the last thing you remember," Ash suggested with a calm smile, "and then I'll see if I can fill in the gaps."


	27. Chapter 3: Castle Storming Funtimes

Ashen Blaze sighed and drummed a hoof impatiently on the helm of the _Lirin_. The Order-naries, save for Gale who was being made to let her injuries rest by Yu-san, a few Royal Guards, and Twilight were waiting for the other Element Bearers to rendezvous with them so they could discuss the next plan of action. While the others stood around outside, Ash was effectively hiding inside the trans-dimensional ship so as not to spook any random ponies who might wander by, as unlikely as that was. The Diamond Dog Ash had freed from mind-control had not believed the explanation that there were two ash-grey unicorn stallions with wild red-and-orange manes and had adamantly refused to accept or provide any help to the ponies in stopping the rest of his pack. Due to the lack of a knowledgeable guide for a pre-emptive strike against the Dogs, Gale had lent PC back to Ash so it could link up and use the _Lirin_'s scanners to try and locate and map the Diamond Dog tunnels underneath Ponyville's streets. The head-mounted computer was currently sitting on an empty seat, and Ash was bored. "How long have we been waiting?" he asked.

"_Fifty-eight minutes_," PC relied immediately, "_Unless you want to add the time it took you to return here from Twilight Sparkle's home_."

"If I told you that was a rhetorical question, would you care?" Ash asked, bored enough to purposely start an argument with his computer.

"_A simple question like that, which has an easily provided answer, can't possibly be rhetorical_," PC responded.

"What definition of 'rhetorical' are you using?" Ash asked, "You normally don't expect an answer to the rhetorical question _because_ the answer is obvious."

"_Really now?_" PC asked in turn, sarcastic, "_They are also asked in a sarcastic tone like what I just employed. Your request to know how much time had passed was not made in sarcasm, but a weary tone. It's been fifty-nine minutes now by the way._"

"I wonder what's taking those girls so long," Ash muttered, making sure not to phrase it as a question.

PC took it as a prompt anyway, saying, "_Sadly, my inability to read the minds or predict the behavior of organic beings makes it impossible to speculate._" Ash sighed and started drumming on the helm again. A second later, PC piped up again and said, "_Five ponies approaching, matching the life-signatures of Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy._"

"I thought you said…" Ash began, but then paused and thought back. "You know they're coming, but you still don't know _why_ it took them this long."

"_There may be hope for you yet sirrah_," the computer deadpanned. Ash ignored it and went to the ship's hatch to wait, leaving PC on the seat.

"All right girls," he said when the five arrived, "Just so you know, we've discovered that the Diamond Dogs are being mind-controlled by bespelled gems Thamule gave to them. Word of this is already being relayed to the guards so they know what to do, and PC should be able to provide a map and plan for storming whatever's passing for their encampments soon."

"Great," Rainbow Dash said, "but shouldn't we be going after Thamule soon?"

"Of course," Ash said, walking out of the ship, "I just wanted to alleviate any concerns you might have about Ponyville's safety. Now, everypony gather around and-"

"Wait! Don't close the ship up yet!" Everyone turned to see Gale limping up the road toward them, leaning slightly on Yu-san Maesi for support.

"What's wrong Gale?" Heart asked, "I thought you were staying behind to rest that leg."

"Oh, I'm staying," Gale responded, "but I'm not going to sit around and be useless if I don't have to." She looked at the ramp leading up into the _Lirin_, frowned, and then sat down where she was and asked, "Could someone bring out my Gel Launcher equipment?"

"May I ask why?" Ash said, "I mean, you left it here because you can't use it with hooves."

Gale rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Please," she said, "With a few extra parts and a little time I can easily modify it for equine use. It's what I was trying to develop before all this nonsense started, remember? Since the Dogs are being controlled by magic, my Magebane gel will be quite useful."

"Hm… Truth," Ash said with a nod, "Just a moment then." He turned to head into the ship, only to see that Soul was coming out with the launcher and ammo pack floating beside him.

"Heart and I will stay with you," the yellow unicorn said to Gale, "You're injured, so if you're going to go shooting berserker canines you'll need someone to watch your back."

"But, what if we need you when we catch up to Thamule?" Twilight asked.

"The princesses ought to be more than adequate help I'd think," Soul said with a smile, "Heck, I'll bet that by the time the seven of you catch up all you'll need to do is use the Elements to finish the job."

"That would be nice," Fluttershy said optimistically.

"This is risky," Ash said, "Thamule's proven to be a tricky little meeper."

"You'll be fine," Gale said, "It'd be anywhere between seven and nine against one_._ Now get going." Ash heaved a sigh and gestured for the six Element Bearers to gather around.

"Oh, Ash, one last thing before you wear yourself out," Rarity said. She opened her saddlebag and levitated out a necklace made of round gemstones held within woven strands of copper and gold wire. The gems were arranged in a rainbow pattern centering on a single large ovoid fire ruby inscribed with a stylized "AB" that nearly resembled Ash's cutie mark of his _Meis_ insignia. "I was working on this to replace the necklace you'd lost when Thamule attacked me," Rarity explained, "You do still need your magic enhanced, don't you?"

"Oh, uh, right," Ash stammered as he let Rarity put the necklace on him, "Thank you Rarity. It's… it's perfect." A wistful smile formed on his lips for a brief second, but then he blinked and shook his head, sobering. He drew a pattern in the dirt as he began focusing his magic, horn and necklace glowing in tandem, and then stomped on it and spoke in sharp command, "_Destulf juri iska,_ Transport!" The group was engulfed in a ball of orange light, which hung in place and flickered for several seconds, and then vanished with a sharp crack, leaving only a patch of scorched, smoking dirt behind.

"That… was not normal," Soul said, worried.

* * *

><p>Deep in the underground halls of Canterlot Castle, a knotted pattern of interweaving lines which had been carefully carved into the floor near the wall began to glow, and then to throw off fitful sparks of orange magic. After a moment, a large bubble of orange light formed in the air and popped, dropping six slightly singed mares and one very scorched stallion onto the floor. Twilight was the first to get her feet under her and rubbed her forehead as she sat up. "Is everypony ok?" she asked. A chorus of moans answered her.<p>

"Oh my poor hair," Rarity groaned, gingerly feeling up the frazzled mess her mane had become, "I hope I don't run into anyone important looking like this."

"What, more important than the Princesses we're lookin' fer?" Applejack asked flippantly. She ignored the flat look Rarity shot at her in favor of checking her Stetson for damage. Aside from some soot and some easily repaired dents, it seemed to be fine, so she flipped it back onto her head and helped Fluttershy to her hooves.

Rarity vented her frustration with a ladylike snort, and then noticed that Ash had hardly moved. "Ash, darling, are you ok?" she asked, touching him gently on the shoulder, "Was there something wrong with the necklace? I must have accidently weakened its focusing power trying to make it look-" She cut off as Ash cracked an eye open and put a hoof over her mouth.

"The AEoM is perfect Rarity," the unicorn stallion said, "The problem wasn't on our end." He hauled himself to his feet, with some help from Rarity, and went to look at the weave pattern in the floor, which was still spitting the occasional spark. "This is odd," he said, "the waypoint I set here has degraded, but the transport spell still brought us to it. If it was broken before I cast the spell the teleport should have failed completely, and after the connection was made the power flow should have refreshed the waypoint's weave, not damaged it…"

"Perhaps there was another force in play?" Twilight asked, "Maybe Thamule did something."

Ash shook his head, "That would mean he expected someone to try and follow him here using the way-point, and I - last seen being discarded into the void - am the only one who could. Besides, I don't see any disturbances in the local magic threads besides the signatures of my own magic and the effects of you and Rarity being here."

"Come again?" Applejack asked, confused.

"Technical stuff, don't worry about it," Ash said, waving the question off as he looked over the group and then down the hall, "Come on, let's try to find Thamule's trail."

"Right," the girls said, falling into step as Ash led the way toward the stairs. They reached the ground floor without incident, and then Ash slowed his pace to nearly a crawl, casting about with an increasingly confused and irritated manner. "Where did he come in from?" he muttered, "I don't see any signs… No damage, no spell remnants…"

"No ponies," Twilight added. Ash stopped and looked at her, and she gestured around her, explaining, "This is an emergency, so there should be guards everywhere. We're completely alone in here; there aren't even any bodies of ponies Thamule fought through."

"Maybe he found some way to force everypony out to save his strength?" Rainbow Dash suggested.

"Without arousing suspicion?" Ash replied incredulously, "And then he'd have to keep everypony from coming back, and that takes effort and focus and…" He shook his head and picked up the pace, heading toward the residential wing on a hunch. "This just doesn't add up," he said after a while, "A subtle, solo infiltration job with pains taken to avoid detection was never my style as _Meis Thamule_, although I always had a veritable army of military-trained mages at my beck and call and my opening move was usually an orbital bombardment… You'd think an evil clone of yourself would be easy to… predict…" He trailed off as he noticed a disturbance in the magic field in front of him. He stopped and followed the bent and twisting threads, his head tilting from side to slightly as it craned up, and then his eyes went wide as his gaze reached the ceiling. "Uh… Twilight," he said, "I found your brother." Twilight looked up and gasped in fright, which was quickly echoed by her friends. Up on the ceiling, held in place by four bands of orange light around his legs, was the still form of Shining Armor.

"Oh my gosh, Shining!" Twilight exclaimed, "Shining Armor! Are you ok? Say something!" She whirled on Ash and grabbed him by the shoulders, verging on hysterics. "Get him down!"

"Gimme a sec girl," Ash replied sharply enough to make her back off without sounding too harsh. He looked up and focused on the bands, channeling his magic as he muttered under his breath. "Start with the air strand and –_yikes!_" The bands disintegrated almost the moment Ash's magic touched them and Shining plummeted to the ground. Ash tried to dive out of the way and banged his head against the wall as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy leapt into the air to catch the falling unicorn and Twilight reached out with her telekinesis. Shining's fall was halted just short of the floor, and after gently lowering him the rest of the way Fluttershy began checking for a pulse as Twilight pranced in place in panic. After a tense second, the butter-yellow pegasus let out of a small sigh of relief and gave Twilight a reassuring smile.

"He's still breathing," she said. Twilight nearly collapsed in relief, happy tears building in the corner of her eyes.

"Are you ok Ash?" Rarity asked the grey stallion, who was rubbing his head and staring at the spot Shining had been hanging from with utter confusion.

"Huh?" Ash said, snapping out of his distraction, "Oh, I'm fine Rarity. Nothing broken. But… that binding spell…"

"It was easier to undo than you expected," Rarity said, "Is that so strange?"

"It wasn't just unexpectedly easy," Ash said, "it was _instinctively_ easy. Those bindings were woven exactly the way they'd have been if I'd cast the spell."

"I'm afraid I don't understand darling," Rarity said.

"Nobody casts spells exactly the same way," Ash explained, "If you can sense the magical flows involved, you can potentially identify the caster by the weave of the spell. It's like a fingerpri- er… That is… it's like a cutie mark; even if two ponies have similar looking marks, there are differences in what they represent and, well you know." Shining Armor chose that moment to stir and moan, causing Ash to freeze up for a second. "Oh _skvetch_, he is not going to be happy to see my face when he wakes up." Biting his lip, he began to back away and think fast, his eyes darting about. "Leaving him here alone isn't prudent," he said, voice speeding up as he spoke, "but we can't leave somepony to watch him; we need all the Elements together, but trying to explain that I'm not Thamule will waste valuable time… _skvetch!_" He stomped in frustration, the ringing thud of hoof against stone echoed loudly off the walls, startling Shining Armor into consciousness. His bleary blue eyes opened and locked onto Ash's panicked green ones. "Captain," Ash said pleadingly, "Don't jump to conclusions, I beg you." He continued to back away as Shining raised his head and regarded him with an unreadable expression.

"Shiny," Twilight said, imposing herself in her brother's line of sight, "It's me. It's ok, everything's under control."

Shining looked at Twilight's tiara, then down at her eyes, and then smiled and said, "Heh, I knew he was a fake. He was freakishly strong for a Changeling though. I don't think even their Queen could've mustered such power."

"What you faced was no Changeling," Ash said, his panic washed away in an instant to be replaced by his usual stoic demeanor, "And I'd suspect he's got some of Discord's curious dislike for killing in him, otherwise I doubt you'd be breathing right now."

"So what... Never mind," Shining shook his head and hauled himself shakily to his hooves, "We need to hurry. I don't know how long he's had to try and reach the Princesses."

"Well," Ash said, "if you think you can keep up after being beaten up and suspended from the ceiling by your legs, you're welcome to join, but if you can't you should find some place to bunker down because I won't wait for you." Casting a meaningful look at each member of the group, he started walking down the hall at a quick and determined pace. Shining Armor huffed tried to follow Ash, but after a few steps he fell to his knees with a grunt. "Chop chop ladies," Ash called over his shoulder, "Celestia's waiting!"

"I'll be ok Twily," Shining said reassuringly, "Go on." Twilight nodded sadly, gave her big brother a quick nuzzle, and then galloped to catch up with Ash with her friends close behind.

After reaching the hall leading to the royal suites, Ash's ears perked up sharply and he frowned grimly, with bared teeth. "Something's wrong," he said, picking up the pace, "the latent energy's becoming looser and it's practically convulsing with the echoes of rapid spell-casting." He skidded to a stop upon reaching the doors to Celestia's chambers, hastily tracing a spell pattern on the floor, and then bucked the doors with all his might. The doors shivered but held fast, and Ash stumbled away to regain his balance. "AJ," he said authoritatively, "lend me your strongest apple-bucking kick."

"You got it pardner," Applejack said. As she got into position, Ash traced out another spell and activated it just before Applejack's legs lashed out, adding strength to the earth pony's kick and flinging the doors wide open. Ash and the girls caught a fleeting glimpse of Thamule standing over the limp form of a midnight blue alicorn before they vanished in a blinding flash of orange light.

"_Skvetch!_" Ash cried, bounding into the room and slamming both fore-hooves into the recently vacated slot. "_Keli nu'tar safk_," he spat, "_Kwi destulf, skvetchte vaer thuml?_" He began pacing in tight circles, his face close to the floor and his whole body practically radiating power as he searched for something.

"Ash, are you," Twilight started to ask as she came into the room, but then her eyes fell upon a figure near a wall that had been hidden from sight from the hallway and she screamed in mortal terror. "_Princess Celestia!_" Startled by the cry, Ash looked up and followed her with his eyes as she tore across the room to Celestia's side. The regal white alicorn was lying in the middle of a fresh bloodstain on the carpet, her normally pristine coat dull, ragged, and discolored by cuts and bruises. Her mane was now a single hue of pastel pink and lacked all the usual ethereal sparkles and autonomous movement. Her tail would have likely been in a similar state, except that it was missing save for an inch or two. Ash's eyes flicked to Pinkie's tailless rump for a second as the Element Bearers ran to join their leader by Celestia's side, but then he forced his gaze back to fallen Princess to finish taking in her wounds. The Princess's horn had been shattered, the pieces littering the floor around her and leaving only a jagged stump on her head, and one of her wings was a burnt and withered shell of its former majestic self. Fresh rage bubbled up in Ashen Blaze's chest, and he quickly seized it and forced it under control as he went back to his investigation of the spot Thamule had teleported away from, tuning out the sobbing and hysterical first-aid attempts coming from Twilight's group.

_If I can't stop whatever he has planned for Luna,_ he thought,_ there will be no mercy or forgiveness._


	28. Chapter 4: The Final Threshold

"We've got signs of Dog activity!" Gold Heart cried out as she flew into smithy Gale and Yu-san had appropriated to modify the Gel Launcher, "Are you finished yet?"

"I think so," Gale answered, making one last adjustment as she spoke. The Gel Launcher and its ammo pack had been attached to an abused-looking red fashion saddle so that the launcher cannon rested against Gale's right side and the ammo hung as a counterweight on the left. The trigger had been removed from its original placement and attached to an adjustable bit that Gale could grip in her mouth, and the loading mechanism had been moved onto the ammo pack where she could work it with her hoof. With some clumsy help from Yu-san, Gale slipped into the saddle and worked at the girth straps until the contraption sat tightly but comfortably in place. "Well, what do you think?" the brown earth pony asked, striking a modeling pose.

"It looks a bit… jury-rigged," Heart said, rocking in place slightly with a distracted look on her face.

"Yeah, well when saddles are more of a fashion statement than a utility…" Gale said, casting a brief askance glance at the battle saddle. She then noticed Heart's anxiety, walked over to the door to peek outside, and then asked, "Where's Soul?"

"He's with the defenders already," Heart said, prancing in place, "Can we go now please?"

"Of course," Gale said instantly.

"Wait a second Kara," Yu-san said, "Aren't you going to make sure it's even going to work right before you go charging into battle?"

"I can test it on the way," Gale said.

"Test it on the way," Heart said at the same time, and then went outside and took flight, anxious to rejoin her twin. Gale chuckled as she followed at the fastest trot she could manage with her hurt leg.

"Be careful," Yu-san called after the girls, "and make me proud." Heart waved a hoof over her shoulder in response while Gale went for something more dramatic: with a show of agility and coordination that surprised Yu-san despite his familiarity with Gale's skill she angled the Gel Launcher upward, loaded a shot, and fired a blue gel in an arc that ended with a splat against the side of a shop, all without missing a step. Yu-san smiled as he watched the pair vanish down the road. "Some things never change," he said to himself.

Heart guided Gale to a park near the north side of town, where several units of Royal Guards were lined up in preparation to meet a pack of Diamond Dogs that were crawling to the surface from freshly-made holes. Soul Mage was standing near the center of the line, and when Heart and Gale came up to him he exchanged a quick wordless hug with his sister as they established their spirit link. Then he looked at Gale and her battle saddle and said, "Function beat Form into the ground today, did it?"

"Shut up," Gale said, "I was in a rush." She adjusted the angle of the launcher and took in the approaching wave of cave-dogs. "So, what's the strategy?" she asked.

"We capture as many as we can easily contain," Sergeant Bastion said, coming over to eye Gale critically, "And then, after we drive off the remainder, we'll deal with the mind-control spells. Might I ask how you intend to contribute?" In answer, Gale shifted the loading mechanism to Magebane, loaded a gel, and shot the leading Diamond Dog in the chest, knocking him back into his fellows and bringing the charge to a brief halt. After a second he sat back up and looked around blank confusion as the mindless army resumed their charge.

"Magebane," Gale explained as she reloaded and fired again, "it sucks up magical energy and can destroy all but the largest and most complex of spells. Just keep your unicorns out of my line of sight."

"Ah, well, carry on then," Bastion said, and then turned to face the foe as the signal to meet the charge sounded. Guards-ponies galloped and flew out, some wielding weapons that they swept at their enemy's legs, while others went hoof-to-paw with the canines and spells whipped around through the air. Soul Mage entered the fray as well, knocking Diamond Dogs around with blasts of spirit energy and lassoing any that lost their footing near him to drag them off as prisoners, while Gold Heart stayed near Gale as she launched blobs of Magebane at any target that presented itself. The Diamond Dogs she struck tended to react in one of two ways once the mind control spell deteriorated: some would continue to lash out in a panic at anything that got too close while others, who seemed to possess faster brains than average, would turn around and start attacking their pack mates, tearing off pockets, necklaces, and whatever else stood in the way of throwing away gems until the victim started to come to their senses.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Gale?" Heart asked, wincing as a unicorn guard went down under the weight of a liberated but berserk Diamond Dog, "It seems like you might be doing as much harm as good with the Magebane. Maybe you should the shock gel instead and save the 'bane for the captured Dogs."

"Shock gel's formulated for humans," Gale replied without breaking her firing rhythm, "I don't know how that voltage will affect Dogs, or ponies for that matter. The caustic gel's not even up for consideration of course."

"Of course," Heart said with a sigh, and then yelped as a mind-controlled Diamond Dog broke out of the melee and leapt toward her and Gale. Gale was the middle of reloading and didn't have time to adjust her aim, so Heart moved into the dog's path and braced to meet it with spirit-charged hooves, only for an orange lance of magic to beat her to the punch from behind. The Diamond Dog's momentum was halted mid-jump and it landed hard on its face several feet shy of its mark. Heart and Gale stole a quick glance back to see Ash breathing heavily, a sense of urgency evident in his stance.

"Heart," he said, "get your brother. The Thamule situation's taken a bad turn and we need to respond _immediately_."

"We're in the middle of something here Ash," Gale said in blatant understatement, "This better be good."

"How does Princess Celestia beaten within an inch of her life and Luna kidnapped for some likely unpleasant purpose suit you?" Ash deadpanned. The girls stared at him in dumbfounded silence, and he raised an eyebrow in response, silently daring them to call him a liar.

Heart snapped out of her shock after a moment and turned to yell over the din of battle, "_Soul Mage! Royal emergency! Move your rear!_" Soul glanced over, and then lifted the Diamond Dog he was engaging off the ground and threw him toward the far side of the field before trotting over.

"I'll explain on the way," Ash said before the golden-yellow unicorn could ask, "Come on, to the Everfree." He spun around and galloped off, his teammates not far behind.

Ash recounted the events in Canterlot as he guided the Order-naries to the edge of the Everfree, where Twilight and her friends were waiting for them. "It seems that when Thamule left with Luna, he took whatever spells or barriers were preventing everyone from getting into the castle with him," the ash-grey unicorn said as he neared the end of the story, "Because within a few minutes the place was swamped with guards and other concerned castle staff. We managed to stabilize Celestia's condition, although I don't know if she's going to wake up any time soon. Shining Armor's taken charge of keeping things organized, but he wants Cadance to join him ASAP. I don't think we can spare the time to track her down though." They arrived at the rendezvous point to find the pink alicorn listening to Twilight recount her Canterlot experience through barely-withheld tears. "Or she could be here," Ash muttered with a smirk. Cadance took notice of the Order-naries's approach and trotted up to them.

"Ash, is it true?" she asked, "Is Celestia…?"

"Alive, but just barely," Ash answered gravely, "And Luna is in the hands of the enemy. _Madonna_, you should return to Canterlot, rejoin your husband, and take up emergency regency. Hopefully you won't have to hold it for very long, but we'd best play it safe."

"Of course," Cadance said, "I have to ask though, why? Why would Thamule spare Celestia?"

"I'm not sure," Ash said, "I can guess why he went after the Princesses in the first place though: when entities with power over something as fundamental as night and day exist, you can't truly say you control the world unless you control or replace them. It could be Thamule wanted to be sure Celestia can't act against him, but fears what might happen if the solar alicorn dies before he can take control."

"That doesn't make much sense," Twilight said, joining the conversation, "The sun and moon aren't tied to a particular pony. Any individual or group with enough power can do the job. That's why Celestia was able to rule alone for the Nightmare's thousand-year exile, and why there's even a line of emergency regents in the first place. I know you know about that Ash, so why wouldn't Thamule?"

"Thamule isn't me," Ash said with a shrug, "He's a copy of my worst attributes mixed with Discord's power. I don't know what he knows, and it's becoming clear I can't predict him as easily as I thought. We're wasting time here, let's move. _Madonna_ Cadance, good luck with Canterlot and we'll see you when this is over."

"Yes, good luck to you as well, all of you," Cadance said, giving Twilight a quick hug and looking around at the Element Bearers and Order-naries. She trotted off for a distance before spreading her wings and taking flight.

"All right," Ash said, sprinting into the Everfree Forest, "Making up for lost time now; let's move!"

"And where, exactly, are we going?" Rainbow asked as she flew up alongside Ash and matched his pace, "You said you were able to figure out Thamule's destination when he teleported away, but you haven't said _where_ that is yet."

"Fortress," Ash replied, "The spot where I found the Twisted Desire, and probably not coincidently the location of one of the inter-dimensional portals. Discord's got himself a nice little headquarters of chaos there, and that's where Thamule's set up shop. I'd teleport us in, but…"

"That would be jumping into the heart of the enemy stronghold more or less blind," Soul said, "So we beat down the door and storm the castle instead?"

"Precisely," Ash said.

"Works fer me," Applejack said, "Let's show 'em what we're made of. Yee-haw!"

With Ash in the lead, the ten ponies raced through the forest, their numbers and sheer determination causing even Fluttershy to forget the eerie and wild atmosphere of the place. At one point a trio of timber wolves appeared on the path ahead and wisely backed away into the underbrush at the sight of the multi-colored equine stampede, and Soul figured that was only the most obvious case of the wildlife giving them a berth.

When they neared the Twisted Desire clearing, Ash brought the group down to a slow, cautious approach, keeping an eye out for trouble from the shadows. "I've had a tendency for being attacked around here," he whispered, "be careful."

"What tendency?" Soul whispered back, "How many times have you been out here besides tracking down the Twisted Desire?"

"Well, I think we were close to here when Thamule jumped us," Ash replied, "The last thing I remember seeing before waking up in Valden was a glimpse of the fortress."

"Just what is this fortress like anyway?" Rainbow asked, creeping ahead of the group and up to the edge of the clearing to get a better look. "Whoa," she said as she got a good look at the impossibly cobbled-together stone building that stood at least three stories above its dying garden of yellow Twisted Desire plants.

"How does that manage to stay together?" Gale asked, "I can't count the number of points that should be falling apart due to weight or inadequate supports. I mean, the two buttresses I can see aren't even in the right place to do their job."

"Easy there Gale," Ash said, "Discord's statue-prison is in there, and his will is probably all it needs. Focus on something besides the imperfections."

"But there are _so many_," Gale protested, "This is why I hate chaos."

"I'm more concerned about how and why Discord did this," Twilight said, "Sitting back and working through proxies, only pulling a few tricks at a time, and all without breaking free of his petrification. That's not like him."

"Methinks he doesn't have much a of a choice," Soul responded, "He's stuck in a position where he can exercise a little direct influence on his surroundings, but not nearly enough to create the external chaos he needs to break the seal. Once he found a way into Ash's mind though, he had himself an unwilling agent capable of escalating things bit by bit to wear the seal down by stages."

"More or less, yeah," Ash said sourly, "I think he had me drag him out here so he could set up that fortress, the Twisted Desire, and a few other nasty surprises to keep the Elements of Harmony away until he can break loose. And considering what Thamule has done, that time is probably getting very close. Come on, let's go."

"Wait," AJ said, "What kinda 'other nasty things' are we talkin' about here?"

"Some kind of living shadow attacked the last time I was here," Soul said, "Beyond that, well, if we knew what they were they wouldn't be surprises, would they?" AJ and Twilight each gave him a flat look while Heart whapped him upside the head. Ash snorted and stepped out into the clearing, horn aglow and ready for trouble. The Order-naries fell into step behind him, but when Twilight tried to follow suit her nose bumped into an invisible wall, causing her to stumble back and knock her friends down in a domino-like manner. The Order-naries stopped and looked back in confusion as Twilight got back up and tried to walk to them again, bumping up against the invisible barrier again in a somewhat comical nose-squishing manner. Pinkie Pie was the next to regain her footing and likewise found herself unable to get more than few inches into the clearing.

"I take it this is one of the surprises," Twilight deadpanned, backing up a step and poking at where the barrier seemed to be. Her hoof crossed over the line without resistance, but when she tried to walk forward her face impacted, leaving her briefly dazed.

"Hmmm," Pinkie said, sitting back and rubbing her chin for a few moments. She then took off her Element necklace, tossed it to Fluttershy, and jumped across the invisible line without hindrance. "Ah ha!" she declared excitedly, bouncing back and forth to demonstrate her point, "It's the Elements that can't get closer! See?" She reclaimed her necklace and tried to throw it to Soul, only for it to stop short and fall to the ground.

"What?" Ash said, confused, "That doesn't…" Squinting his eyes, he paced along the line of a barrier, marked out with Twilight's assistance, occasionally sniffing at something. "There's no spell at work here," he eventually declared incredulously, "I can't sense anything except the latent magic of the Twisted Desire… _Sketchte_ Discord. There's nothing I can do, and time's wasting…"

"Go on ahead," Twilight said as she put the Element of Laughter back around Pinkie's neck, "Rescue Princess Luna while we try to get through this, and we'll find Discord."

"All right then," Ash said, "See you in a bit girls. Good luck. Come on team." He turned and trotted toward the building. When he reached the edge of the flowers field, he stopped to scratch a spell-weave into the dirt and released his magic into the ground. "Stand back," he warned as the ground began to rise up and split, uprooting a wide swath of Twisted Desire and burying it beneath the dirt, creating a clear path to the fortress door. After waiting for the pollen thrown up in the process to settle, the Order-naries charged forward.

"You sure the four of us are up to this?" Heart asked as they came up to the imposing metal-bound wood door, "The three of us are able to handle you Ash, but if Thamule has the strength to defeat both Celestia and Luna…"

"Yeah," Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm counting on him having a limit to how much power he can utilize in a short time, and that fighting the Princesses has taken a lot of it out of him. Still," he smiled at Gale, "He is basically a magic construct based on me, so Magebane should have an even more dramatic effect on him. Ultimately though, we'll probably just need to buy time for them." He gestured back at the Elements of Harmony, which were currently enveloped in the glow of charging up. As the Order-naries watched, the rainbow beam fired up and arced down to splash against an invisible dome covering the clearing. The energy flowed around without seeming to accomplish anything. "Probably have to buy a _lot_ of time," Ash amended darkly. He sighed and turned back to the door. After taking a moment to consider his approach, he raised a hoof and knocked. The door swung open in a slow and dramatic fashion, but pivoting on the side opposite the apparent hinges and emitting a long mournful French horn tone as it moved. Soul bit his lip in a vain attempt to hold back an amused smile at the effect. The room inside was dark save for the light flowing in from the doorway. "All right," Ash said, "The heart of Discord's domain. Stick together and be prepared for anything."

"Right," Heart, Soul, and Gale said, drawing close together and the twins activating their spirit link. As one, the quartet stepped through the door and began walking through the entry hall, using the ethereal blue glow of the spirit link to light their way. When they made it about a quarter of the way down the hall, which seemed far longer than it had a right to be and lacked any obvious exits, the door slammed shut and darkness fell around Ash, snuffing even the twin's powers. Nobody screamed or made even a small sound of surprise, which worried the ash-grey unicorn more than anything else. "Guys?" he said, feeling around for his companions, "Are we sticking together? Anyone?" He focused his magic and cast out a ball of orange light that illuminated the entire room and revealed that there was nothing in it except him. "S_kvetch._"


	29. Chapter 5: Dependency and Distraction

When the lights went out, Gale froze in place and remained still and silent for several moments, simply waiting. She had no means of producing light of her own, leaving her reliant on her teammates unless she had the foresight to add some glow-sticks to her inventory. All she had at the present moment, of course, was her Gel Launcher which, as much as it was her signature weapon, was only one large part of her standard equipment. After several moments of waiting, she finally took the risk of speaking. "Ash? Soul?" she whispered, "Lights please?" She received no answer and as she focused her attention on listening she realized she couldn't hear even the tiny sounds of another's breathing or moving about in the darkness. "Hello?" she said, raising her voice just above a whisper, "Anybody?" Her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, but there was so little light Gale had trouble trusting the images she was seeing. The fact that it looked like she was in a smaller room with a table only made her more suspicious; she had been in a long hallway just a minute ago and she knew she hadn't taken a single step since the other Order-naries had disappeared. _Unless I'm the one that disappeared_, Gale realized, and once again cursed her lack of a light source. She started to make her way carefully toward what looked to be a table in the middle of the room, to establish a landmark to explore the rest of the dark room from. After a few steps, her hoof kicked something hard and heavy, but which slid slightly with a hollow metal clang and the rattle of objects inside. Ignoring the slight pain in her stubbed foot, she leaned down and felt the object over with her nose to identify it. It was a large toolbox, the kind where the top opened in two separate directions and likely contained at least two layers of divider bins. After thinking for a bit, Gale decided to pick up the box and carry it to the table so she wouldn't trip over it again. As soon as she had it gripped firmly in her mouth, more light suddenly flooded into the room through a window that had not been there a second earlier. Gale muttered a curse around the toolbox handle as she rubbed the spots out of her eyes as they raced to adjust, and looked up and saw that the table was already occupied by a model of the fortress.

"What do you think?" a voice asked as Gale set the toolbox down on the floor by the table, "A most impressive feat of architecture, if I do say so myself." Gale's head snapped toward the window, which now bore a stained-glass image of Discord reclining against the frame.

"Discord!" Gale hissed, turning quickly to bring the Gel Launcher to bear on the small glass dragonequus and loading a Magebane gel. Discord stared down the barrel of the gun with an unperturbed look on his face.

"Go ahead," he said, "shoot the window out. I can just make a new one. Or just put the wall back. Either way's good."

"I should shoot you," Gale grumbled, "If only to try and make you go away. But, I'd probably have to paint the entire room with Magebane to do that, and…" She sat down and crossed her front legs across her chest expectantly. "What's the game?" she asked.

"What makes you think there is a game?" Discord retorted with a wicked smile, "I just want to talk." He peeled himself off the window, turning into a paper and felt cut-out doll that flew across the room while suspended from the ceiling by a string. He came to a stop by the model fortress and gave it a loving stroke. "I heard what you said about this lovely house of mine earlier," he said with a hurt tone, "Is it really so bad?" Gale arced an eyebrow at the little figure but didn't say anything. "Something about butts?" the dragonequus doll prompted.

"Buttresses," Gale corrected before she could stop herself. Grimacing, she continued through gritted teeth, "I'm not an expert at architectural design, but I can point out at least ten different parts that should either be falling off the fortress or pulling it all down. Why do you care though? You obviously aren't letting simple physics get in the way of making this place look the way _you_ want it to, and although it makes my brain itch just looking at a model of it it's none of my concern. Go bother someone else." She turned and marched away from the table, but only made it a few steps before coming to a stop, looking around, and then sitting down hard and glowering at the wall. "There's no door," she said, "Of course. Why would there be a door or other opening to allow passage in and out of here? That would make _sense_."

"You know, you're right," Discord said, taking a step back from the model and pulling a set of opera glasses out to peer at it through, "There are so many ways this should be falling apart. What would you do to fix it?"

"I don't care," Gale said insistently, "I'm not playing your game Discord."

"Ah, but what if I decided to… say, make it so whatever happens to this model happens to the building?" Discord asked, flying over to hang by Gale's ear, "And then I'd let gravity do its normal job again…"

Gale blanched and looked up at the paper and felt avatar of Chaos. "You… you would, wouldn't you?" she asked.

"And you're not the only one in the buil-ding!" Discord said in a sing-song.

* * *

><p>Soul Mage couldn't remember what had knocked him out, but the simple fact that he was in an unfamiliar room, on his side, and with his head pounding made it seem likely that he had been struck by something. The room was bare and windowless, although sufficient light from an unknown source allowed the golden-yellow unicorn to see. Two of the walls had doors that stood slightly ajar. "Man alive," he moaned getting to his feet, "This is going to be loads of fun, eh sis?" He looked around and his ears flattened against his skull in fear. Gold Heart was nowhere to be seen. "No. No no no," Soul said, fighting down his panic, "Rachelle! Where are you?" Silence was the only answer, and Soul surged to his feet, struggling against rising panic as he cast about with all his senses. To a Spiriter there was nothing more torturous than being separated from their twin for reasons beyond their control. It would start as simple twitches and panic attacks, but if Soul couldn't reunite with his sister he would graduate to a gibbering mess or berserk desperation, becoming a danger to anything and everything that stood in his way. The only consolation was that Heart would be under the same stress and that the pair could still sense each other's general location at any distance, inevitably drawing them back together. Under most circumstances anyway.<p>

For the life of him, Soul couldn't feel his sister's presence no matter how hard he strained. "Ok, ok, think," he chided himself, looking around, "Logic. She's obviously not in this room and there are only two ways out. Even odds… Argh." Choosing a door at random and trusting to luck, he charged into another room that was near copy of the first, save that there were three doors including the one he'd just come through. Peering through the other two doors revealed similar set-ups through both and Soul realized he was caught in a maze with no hints as to the right direction. "There's a pattern to these things though," he muttered, "Unless it's an impossi- NO! Can't think like that! Chell!" His final shout echoed around the otherwise silent room. Struggling to keep his thoughts organized through the steadily rising panic, he eventually came up with a plan to simply take the left-most door in each room until something presented itself. For several rooms nothing occurred and Soul still couldn't feel Heart's spirit anywhere, and he started to lose hope. A sudden tremor shook the room he was in and one door vanished from its spot, a sight that goaded the unicorn back into a full gallop. The shaking recurred every few moments, sometimes quick and barely noticeable and other times sustained and threatening. At one point a door vanished a split second before Soul reached it, and after recovering from colliding with the wall he discovered the only way out was the door he'd entered from.

After what felt like an eternity of identical rooms, running, and earthquakes, Soul was at his wit's end. Never had he been separated from his sister for so long without even an idea of where she was and what stood in the way, and the vestiges of his rationality started telling him he was likely to just fall over and surrender to catatonia if he didn't find Heart soon. _One last door perhaps,_ he thought, _then... in death we'll reunite._ He staggered through that final door, and in the corner he saw Gold Heart curled up in a ball with her mane and front legs hiding her face. Relief flooded Soul's mind, washing away much of his worries and anxiety, but, as he approached the golden-yellow pegasus, he realized that he was still feeling some of the separation anxiety, as if Heart wasn't mere feet away from him. She was shaking like a leaf and whimpering, so she was clearly alive, but even as Soul reached out to touch her the subconscious link between the two of them remained unformed.

"Heart," Soul said, "I'm here. Get up, look at me." Heart's whimpering stopped suddenly at Soul's words and she lifted her head slowly and with great effort. She looked at her brother with wide, terror-filled eyes and screamed. Soul jumped back in fright and Heart jumped to her hooves and bolted out of the room like Cerberus and the hounds of Tartarus were after her.

"Rachelle!" Soul cried out, running after her, "Where are you going? Don't leave me again!"

* * *

><p>The toolbox proved to be larger on the inside than it was on the outside, but that was merely a footnote to Gale's greater amazement that it contained not only tools but just about every sort of material she figured she'd need to make the model fortress structurally sound. Without knowing where in the building her friends were, and also not willing to risk the possibility of dealing non-Euclidean geometries, Gale's plan revolved entirely around making additions to the building's exterior to increase its strength and support the numerous hanging wings and ill-proportioned towers. The little Discord facsimile, which had changed to a clay figurine when Gale wasn't looking, seemed content to sit back at the edge of the table and watch as she set up dowels under the worst sections as temporary supports, but Gale kept her eye on him while she dug out some clay, stone, and glue and laid it all out on the table. She then took a moment to close her eyes and clear her mind of distracting thoughts, including the small imperfections she'd seen in the model.<p>

"Are you going to start soon?" Discord asked, "I've got a lot of other things to-"

"Shut up," Gale said flatly, opening her eyes slowly, "If that were true you'd be gone already." She looked the model over once, and then began to fashion a simple arch beneath one of the wings. Discord watched for a moment, and then got up and kicked out the supporting dowel from another part of the building: a tower that stuck out too far from the side of the fortress, which began to sag and lean out dangerously. "Hey!" Gale yelped, zipping around to right the tower and put the dowel back, but while she was doing so the little clay dragonequus was removing another brace. "Back off you little goblin," Gale hissed, swinging at hoof at him and, to her surprise, making contact and sending his upper half flying off the table. Recovering quickly, she grabbed the lower half of the figure and squashed it flat, and then crushed a Magebane gel over it just to be sure before going back to the arch she'd been building.

"Nice hit," Discord said, bouncing up from where he'd landed and walking back to the table on his hands, "but did you really think I was going to let you do this without resistance? There's no fun in just watching."

"Despite your opinion, I'm not doing this for your amusement," Gale groused, "I'm only keeping the fortress from falling apart on me and my friends. I thought you had a rule against killing your victims."

Discord had made it back onto the table and was in the middle of reforming his legs and tail from the shapeless mass, but stopped to give the earth pony a look of bemused disappointment. "I am the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony missy deGrange," he said, "long-standing rules go against everything I stand for."

Gale was startled that Discord knew her real name, but chose to ignore it as the distraction it was. She finished the arch, attaching it to the model with a little glue, and moved on to a gable that needed to be more firmly anchored to the wall. A little clay around the bottom and sides did the job. Discord hadn't made a move since fixing himself up, and so Gale went on to the next bit, until she noticed that her arch was starting to sag. "What?" she exclaimed, "What did you do to this?"

"Moi?" Discord asked innocently, "Absolutely nothing. You probably made a mistake."

"Can't be," Gale said, looking closer, "It's plenty thick enough to hold up under the weight… Hold on… is the clay too soft? No, maybe it's too wide; I should have done a double arch. Or…" A faint creaking sound caught her attention and she looked to see something else starting to fail despite the supportive dowel propped under it. With a cry of alarm, Gale moved to try and fix that problem, only to spot two others as she moved. Those two brought five more to her attention and soon she was trotting almost nonstop around the table, daubing on clay, gluing on stones, and repositioning dowels nearly at random. Discord took flight and hovered over the table, watching with unguarded glee as the brown earth pony began to go into her hyper-drive trance, barely holding back the gradual and inevitable decay of the model.

* * *

><p>Gold Heart was running for her life, her thoughts consumed with the need to get away from the thing chasing her and wearing her brother's form. What it really was, a Changeling or some other shape-changing monster, she couldn't be sure, but it didn't <em>feel<em> like her beloved Ray. At first, she thought it might have been a hallucination brought on by the mental strain of losing the real Soul Mage, but it soon proved itself to be all too real. After weaving through several rooms and managing to stay a few steps behind her, it got fed up and unleashed a tendril of ethereal blue flame from its horn to lasso Heart. When the tendril connected with her leg, a terrible pain shot through her body, as if her blood had turned to fire in an instant. With a howl of pure anguish she spread her wings and flew as fast as she could, not noticing that the creature had also recoiled from the contact between their spirits and had stopped pursuing her.

Heart flew until her wings could take no more and she crashed onto the floor, sobbing more from fear and despair than from physical pain. In one corner of her mind a little flicker of thought emerged, noting how likely it was that Discord was responsible for her situation. This thought wormed its way through the darkness of her mentality, stubbornly refusing to fade and instead evolving. The spirit of Chaos couldn't have chosen a better way to disable her than to separate her from Soul, but adding the monstrous doppelgänger was an unnecessary cruelty. _And,_ the rational thought said coaxingly, _you never stand for wanton cruelty. Even if Ray isn't here, you can't let him beat you Chell. Get up, face your fears._

_But I can't fight as well solo as Ray can_, her stronger negative side contended, _and it hurt so much. Better to just keep running and hiding._

"Rachelle!" Heart jumped to her hooves as the voice echoed through the rooms, sounding so very much like Soul but with an undertone that put the pegasus's teeth on edge. Her eyes darted about as she tried to determine the direction it had come from, but even the sound of hoofsteps drawing near left her conflicted about which way to flee. "Stop running Rachelle, don't make this harder than it has to be." Spooked, Heart galloped off without thinking, tearing through the rooms on pure adrenaline. All she could hear was her ragged breathing and the rapid beat of her heart, and so when she was tackled from the side after passing through a door she had no time to react before she was flipped onto her back and pinned down with the golden-yellow unicorn straddling her, his turquoise eyes fixed on hers as he panted heavily. "Ok, this has gone on long enough," he said in a growl, "It's time to put an end to this. Hold still Chell; don't make this more difficult than it has to be. It should be over in a moment." His horn started to glow and a tendril of spirit energy formed and began to reach down to Heart's head with agonizing slowness.

"No," Heart whined, struggling futilely against the other's strength, "Let me go. Help. Somebody h_aaaaaaaahhhh!_"


	30. Chapter 6: Mind of the Meis

Ashen Blaze walked with full confidence and determination through the Discordian fortress, eyes forward and every sense alert for signs of life that would hopefully lead him to his teammates, Princess Luna, or even his evil double. Light poured out of his horn, illuminating every corner of the rooms he walked through and exposing wispy shadowy forms that skirted about trying to reach him through the powerful glow. "Try and break me Discord," he said challengingly as he came to a set of stairs and began to climb them, "You'll find me too difficult a target now. I am the Indomitable, I know your tricks, and I am not afraid to stand alone against the darkness. Companionship and teamwork has its value, but I know how to rely only on myself."

'_Oh, is that a fact?_' Discord replied as an echo from the walls and a tickling in the back of the unicorn's mind, '_We'll see_.' Ash reached the top of the stairs to find a door that opened by itself at his approach. Upon stepping through he found himself walking on a metal floor with a thin layer of carpeting to reduce the noise of both his hooves and the booted feet of another figure whose appearance gave Ash pause. It was himself, humanoid and dressed in the military-grade mage uniform of _Meis Thamule_, having risen from an impressive-looking chair that hung down from a track on the ceiling. He walked up to a wide viewscreen displaying a planet against the backdrop of a star field, seemingly unaware of the ash-grey unicorn that had intruded in his space. At several stations around the room, short figures in full blue bodysuits and face-obscuring helmets that resembled multi-faceted crystals paused in their duties to watch the _Meis_.

Ashen Blaze took the scene in quickly with both his eyes and magic sense. He recognized the scene, having lived it once. He knew the planet in the viewscreen and what its fate was going to be even as the image of his past self began to speak in a gibberish that sounded like several different languages being spoken simultaneously. Ash understood it though, as every word was committed to memory. Heaving a sigh, he looked around and noticed an out-of-place door across the room and began to walk resolutely toward it, watching the scene only in his peripheral vision. _There is no need to revisit this_, he thought, _Whatever Discord is trying to prove, I don't-_

'_You like to call this point in your life you "dark days," right_?' Discord asked, '_When you were the commander of an entire nation of beings in a war of conquest. While some might try to argue that "it's lonely at the top" or whatever, the fact here is that you… where are you going?_' Ash had reached the other door and started to open it, only for a force on the other side to pull it back. '_You're not paying attention!_' the dragonequus said in an insulted whine.

"Discord," Ash said with the attitude of a parent trying to stay calm while scolding a child, "I, and everypony I know, are in this mess because I made the mistake of responding to your attempts at conversation. You have nothing to say that I want to hear, and I will say no more to you after this. So shut up." He blasted the door off its hinges and ran through before Discord could do anything to it. After passing through a short hallway, he found himself coming back to the false ship's bridge and came to a stop short of the threshold. He turned smartly around, walked a few steps away, and then sat down and closed his eyes with a defiant snort.

'_You can't sit there forever_,' Discord said, '_Your friends won't be coming to you, I can assure you of _that_._' Ash's jaw clenched tighter as he mentally acknowledged the point, but he remained steadfast and silent. '_Gah, fine_,' Discord snapped, '_Don't want to play? Tough. I can _make_ you play, Mister Indomitable._' The tickling in the back of Ash's mind grew stronger and he felt his awareness start to slip away.

"NO," he thundered, clapping a hoof to his temple and gathering as much power into his horn as he could manage, "You are not welcome in my mind. So get. OUT!" With that final cry he released his magic all at once, creating an explosion of orange light and flame that filled the hallway almost instantly and tore the walls and ceiling apart. When the dust settled, Ash stood panting and unharmed, if a bit dusty from the fallout, glaring ahead at the burned out shell of the illusory room ahead. "All right Discord," he said darkly as he walked forward slowly, "You want to talk about my tenure in the Shadowstar Empire? Let me tell you what I was: ignorant, naïve, I'd almost dare to say _innocent_ but for the atrocities committed by my word and hands at the Master's will. It took seeing the sacrifice of another for his subordinate's survival to open my eyes to the truth of what I was. I led conquests, but nothing existed for me beyond that. I couldn't even be bothered to learn the names of those under me, and the other _Meis_ would have spared no thought in trying to kill me for outperforming them in anything, had such a thing not been expressly forbidden. I fled that nightmare, and I worked alone until the Order-naries taught me how to properly relate to others, and I'm stronger for having experienced both solitude and friendship."

'_All I'm hearing is "blah blah blah, I'm better than you",_' Discord said boredly, '_Don't try to impress me Ash; I've been in your head and I know just how hard you're lying to yourself._'

Ash bristled. "I never lie," he said, "Least of all to myself."

'_Puh-leez,_' Discord replied, '_nobody can be completely honest all the time, not even the Element of Honest herself. Admit it: there's at least one someone you regret leaving._' Ash stayed silent and kept walking, coming into a fresh, undamaged, and empty room before Discord lost his patience again. '_I guess I'll just have to find out for myself_,' he said, starting to press into Ash's mind again. Ash started to resist, but after a second he got a better idea and brought a name and image to the surface of his thoughts where it would be easy to find. He felt Discord's mental probe latch onto it like candy and pull away. '_Hm, this is an interesting looking fellow_,' Discord said, '_Does this jog your memory any Ash?_' At the far side of the room appeared the image of a vaguely humanoid thing covered in a robe that left only hands with tentacle-like fingers and a bulbous head with hard red eyes and a mass of thick tentacles hiding the lower half visible.

"Ah, _Meis N'Cral_," Ash said with a grim smile, "Yes, I suppose I do have a regret. I regret never trying to do this before making my escape." He traced a few quick lines on the floor with his hoof, focusing his magic into a tight point at the tip of his horn while a similar point of light formed in front of his Artificial Element necklace. "I am the master of my own mind_,_ chimera." The points of light shot out, spiraling around each other until the met right in front of the illusion, exploding spectacularly and annihilating the wall behind it. When the smoke and dust cleared, Ash found himself looking into the solid yellow eyes of an ash grey unicorn stallion with a fire-like mane and tail and a cutie mark resembling an M and B stuck together. Ash's smile grew larger and more dangerous. "Well, hello there faker."

All the color drained out of Thamule's eyes, leaving them a stark, witless white. "What is this?" he asked, "You should be dead! Erased from all existence! I threw you into the void!"

"You threw me into Valden actually," Ash said, walking through the gaping hole in the wall, and then cocked his head to the side in curiosity, asking, "Did you honestly not take Discord at his word when he said the worlds Tau'rin inflicted his presence on still stand? It's a poor servant who doesn't trust his master."

"Discord is no master of mine," Thamule snarled, eyes turning red, "You're hardly one to talk about such things anyway, you little traitor."

"My, what is this?" Ash asked, "Discord, having a little trouble keeping one of your creations in line? Perhaps it's just in my genes to be a turn-coat."

'_That would explain how he became such an unruly pawn_,' the Dragonequus mused, '_It wasn't my idea for him to attack Canterlot, and I have no idea what he intends with poor little Luna there._'

"Luna?" Ash tore his eyes away from his doppelgänger and finally looked at the room. The center of the floor was taken up with a large and intricate carved circular Weave, in the middle of which was a bubble of translucent blackness. Drawing closer, Ash peered inside and made out the figure of Princess Luna curled up inside, her mane and tail looking like natural hair and her coat marred by splotches and lines of black. Her eyes were open but unseeing, filled as they were with pain and terror. Fury began to fill Ash, but he kept it under control as he turned back toward Thamule. "What's your plan for her?" he asked, "You've shown that Celestia's life means nothing to you, so what value is Luna's?"

"She has potential," Thamule replied, "And this world is one that cannot be ruled alone. Discord can't be trusted or controlled, so I require another, one who has twice wrested control to impose her own order upon Equestria."

"You think you can keep the Nightmare in your thrall?" Ash asked, "Or for that matter prevent Discord from exerting more power than he already has and overcoming the seal placed on him? Ha. You are a poor copy of me, _Vaer_ Thamule. You have ambition beyond your design. A proper _meis_ should know his place."

'_Is it my imagination, or are you standing up for me?_' Discord asked.

"Shut up Discord_,_" Ash and Thamule both snapped.

'_Oh ho, ok,_' Discord said, '_I see how it is. Actually, this should be _quite_ amusing. Wish I had some popcorn._'

"So, where were we?" Ash asked, "Ah, right, I was-" He stopped short as Thamule fired a blast of magic at him, ducking and throwing up a barrier to deflect it harmlessly into the wall. "Ah, that's more like it," he said with a cheeky grin, "taking the first available opening. Let's see who the better mage is in the long run though."

"Peh, I beat you once before," Thamule said dismissively, eyeing Ash's shield as he began to circle the room.

"By ambush," Ash responded, "and with me in a distracted state. The field is even now _Vaer_." He let the shield drop and charged his magic. "Take your best shot."

Thamule narrowed his eyes suspiciously and fired a bolt of magic at his opponent, keeping control of its path to maneuver around Ash's defenses. To his shock and surprise, rather than try to deflect the bolt, Ash simply titled his head to the side with a smug smirk as the attack curved at the last second to fly by harmlessly and loop back around and come at Thamule. The doppelgänger deflected it with a thought and fixed Ash with a hard, demanding glare. "What Discord trickery is this?" he asked, "None can so completely wrest control of another's spells like that, not even _Meis Thamule_."

"Truth," Ash said, still smiling smugly, "Every magic user imprints their own energy upon their spells, so only they can fully control them. All others must either apply external force or try to reconstruct the spell. Here's the thing though _Vaer_, you and I? Our magic is one and the same. Even with Discord's influence in your creation, we are effectively clones, differing only in personality."

"And how is it you know this?" Thamule asked.

"In Canterlot, I undid the bindings you placed on Shining Armor," Ash answered, "As is my, or our wont rather, I attacked them with my typical dispel first to see what threads to go after to unweave, but the bindings reacted as if I had cast them and broke apart at once. 'Twas a mere curiosity though, until I tried to trace your Transport spell out of the Princesses's rooms and discovered the destination with more precision than even PC could have accomplished. I'd have been hot on your tail if I hadn't decided to play the safe route. Point is, whatever you can dish out, I can control it."

Thamule's yellow eyes blinked in befuddlement for a moment, but then the orbs turned green and he smirked. "If that is true," he said, "Then the reverse must be as well."

"Most likely," Ash admitted, and then unleashed a veritable storm of magic projectiles. Thamule grabbed them and turned them back on their original caster, and thus the contest began in earnest. Back and forth the two ash-grey unicorns sent the volleys, occasionally adding more to the mix or dispersing some when they felt overwhelmed. Bolts of pure magic, fireballs, and arcs of lightning swirled at all different speeds around the pair like the electrons of some great chaotic elemental compound. After a few moments, Ashen Blaze began to move around, gracefully weaving between the deadly projectiles, all while keeping a calm look on his face. Incensed, Thamule redoubled his efforts, trying to keep control of the magic as long as he could to trip up his opponent's dance. Neither spoke a word, saving their energy only for spell work and dodging. Eventually though, Thamule's strategy began to bear fruit as Ash had more and more close calls as his energy began to fade. At last he was forced to stop and barricade himself behind shields, breaking up the attacks as they came to him and returning few if any. Thamule began to chuckle triumphantly and let the storm die down until the only spells still active in the room were Ash's shields and the spell around Luna.

"You… fool," Thamule panted, feeling drained as well from the exertion, "Weren't you called the 'Pragmagic' once? You've become too complacent in your skills, too theatrical to truly be called pragmatic. Did you really think you could best me with your… psychological warfare? Huh? Tell me why."

"Well," Ash said, looking at a point past Thamule's head, "first of all, unlike you, I don't normally fight alone these days. I have friends." Thamule's eyes grew wide and white as he whirled around, realizing he had his back to the hole Ash had blown in the wall. He was tensed to protect himself, but no threating hoof or magic attack came to meet him. The gap and the room beyond were empty. Orange annoyance seeped into his eyes, but before he could turn around Ash pounced on him from behind and delivered a bone-crushing hoof-strike to the back of the neck. Thamule collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut as vertebrae shattered and he lost all sensation below the neck, and Ash rolled expertly off him and looked down at him. "Second," he said, "I know myself, and even with friends I'm still paranoid enough to fall for that kind of trick."

"You…" Thamule gasped in a rattling voice, "you _lied_."

Ash shook his head. "Nope, I never said they were there. I just said I had friends." He gave the broken unicorn a pat on the cheek and turned to the spell holding Luna. "Now let's see about this little thingy…"

"You've doomed her," Thamule rattled, stubbornly refusing to die, "Trust all... you want in… your ability to… take control of… the strings… but the spell is in motion and… you'll never discern its workings until… it's too late. Of course," he added in a suddenly clear, strong tone, "That will hardly matter when you're dead." Ash turned around to see Thamule pick himself off the ground, his neck restoring itself with a sickening crack. "I owe Discord no loyalty," the doppelgänger said, "But I have some of his power to use, so use it I shall to maintain my life."

"Oh, fun times ahead then," Ash said sardonically, "Well, bring it then." To his surprise, rather than use magic, Thamule charged and tackled him to the ground, taking a grip around his head with both front legs.

"Let's see how you like a broken neck," Thamule spat, eyes a murderous, angry red.

Grunting, Ash flared his horn brightly to blind Thamule and then teleported to the side and out of the headlock. He caught Thamule's leg as it lashed out wildly toward him and pulled on it, throwing his opponent even more off balance. He misjudged the angle of motion however and Thamule crashed into him, bringing them both down into a grappling tangle. They wrestled for a while, until an interruption came from outside. A glob of yellow gel struck Thamule in the side of the head, followed a second later by one to Ash's head. Screaming, the two separated and Thamule fell to the ground writhing in pain while Ash bit back the cry and reached up to scrape the Magebane off. "_Skvetchte…_ Geez Gale, why'd you have to shoot _me_?" He looked to see the brown earth pony girl standing in the breach in the wall, Gel Launcher primed and ready for another shot. Behind her Ash could see Soul Mage standing with Gold Heart draped across his back, the golden-yellow pegasus hugging her brother's neck as tightly as she could without choking him, looking exhausted beyond measure and absolutely determined not to let Soul go. Soul and Gale weren't looking much better.

"Sorry Ash," Gale said, "but I had to be sure I got the right one. I _did_ get the right one, right?"

"Look at my eyes if you doubt," Ash said, "and if that doesn't convince you, look at the other guy." The Magebane appeared to be eating through Thamule's face, having claimed an eye and most of his cheek in a bloodless manner. Gale grimaced at the sight and unloaded several more shots to try and speed up the process. "So," Ash said, blatantly ignoring the dissolving duplicate, "what happened to you guys?"

"We'll tell you later," Gale said, "We need to find Luna and get out fast before Discord decides to bring the building down."

"Luna's there," Ash said, indicating the spell circle and the dark bubble within, and then quickly pushed Gale's Launcher away from it as she took aim. "Don't break it," he said, "the spell's still in-progress and cutting its power might have catastrophic effects."

"Well, do something quick," Gale snapped as the building began to shake, "This place was not built to last and it's time is way past." The shaking grew progressively stronger as Ash turned and reached his magic out to the spell around the Night Princess.

"Transformation," he muttered, "almost purely mental but with a physical component as well. Brings one thing to the surface that should be buried and- _Yi!_" He lashed out and caught a chunk of masonry that had come loose from the ceiling before it could hit the spell circle. "I cannot work under these conditions," he muttered, "Everyone gather in. I'm going to do something crazy."

"It's always nice when he's upfront about it," Soul muttered with a smile.


	31. Chpater 7: Victory at a Cost

It's difficult to give a death glare to something you can't see, such as an invisible, selectively permeable barrier, but Twilight Sparkle was giving it her best shot anyway. Despite all the efforts of the Elements of Harmony, they had yet to get the necklaces and tiara past the perimeter of the clearing around Discord and Thamule's fortress.

"Idea," Pinkie Pie said, "Let's try wearing an Element besides our own."

"Pinkie," Twilight said wearily, "We've blasted the barrier twice and tried teleporting inside and digging under it."

"I still think that plan has merit," a dirt-stained Applejack said, "We just gotta dig deeper." Rarity shuddered at the thought.

"What makes you think scrambling the Elements around will work?" Twilight asked Pinkie without missing a beat.

"Dunno," Pinkie said with a shrug, "It's something we haven't tried yet though."

Twilight's mouth hung open, words failing her. "Ok, I can't really argue that," she said at last. She levitated the tiara off her head and passed it to Pinkie, who in turn passed her necklace to Applejack, and so on around until Twilight ended up with Fluttershy's Element of Kindness. "All right," the lavender unicorn said uneasily, "Here goes." She stepped forward and bumped into the barrier. "Argh!" Twilight cried in frustration and started banging her head against the invisible wall. "Why. Won't. You. Go. Away. You. Stupid. Wa_aaaah_!" Her face suddenly met simple air rather than solid barrier and she tipped forward into the dirt.

"Are you ok Twilight?" Fluttershy asked as her friends gathered around in concern.

"Yeah," Twilight answered, picking herself up, "But I don't know what happened. The barrier just… vanished."

"Perhaps that has something to do with it?" Rarity suggested, pointing toward the fortress, which was starting to fall apart. "I hope Ash and the others can get out of there in time," Rarity said. A few seconds later, a ball of orange light appeared over the remains of the Twisted Desire field, fluctuating in size for a moment before inflating to a humungous size and then popping to drop a large circular block of stone bearing the four Order-naries and a dome of black energy onto the ground, crushing most of the flowers. Twilight conjured a barrier around herself and her friends as the impact of the stone threw up a cloud of pollen, which was quickly dispersed by a magical wind courtesy of Ashen Blaze.

"Come on girls," AJ said unnecessarily as the six mares ran to join their friends, Twilight returning the Elements of Harmony to their proper bearers as they moved. They hurdled or flew over the remaining Twisted Desire blooms to land on the stone platform. The fortress reached the final stage of its collapse, and Twilight threw up another force field to protect the group from the wave of dust and debris that washed toward them.

"_Gracias_ Twilight," Ash said, looking like he'd just finished running a marathon at a full sprint, "Couldn't get as far away as I hoped to. Too much mass and not enough energy to spare."

"Why'd you hafta bring all this with y'all?" Applejack asked, tapping the stone beneath her hooves.

"What happened in there?" Rainbow Dash asked, "You all look like you've been to Tartarus and back."

"_Inferno,_" Soul said with a cold smile, "_Inferno et Cocytus_. I have endured Fire and Ice such as you wouldn't believe! And poor Heart had it even worse." He turned his head back to nuzzle his sister clamped onto his back like a baby koala.

"What happened?" Twilight asked.

"Is Heart going to be ok?"

"Yeah, in time," Soul said, "Discord turned the bond we share against us, making it painful to get close to each other but not removing our instinctive need to stay together. Heart was so out of her mind she saw me as a monster with sadistic intentions, and a superficial spirit link was pure torture. It took every ounce of willpower and love I had to get down past the... wrongness and reach the real spirit of Rachelle M'Dale, but once we had that connection Discord's influence didn't stand a chance." Heart grunted in affirmation but didn't say anything further.

"He didn't even need to pull any mind-magic on me," Gale grumbled, "He just stuck me in a room with no exit and told me if I didn't make a model of the fortress structurally sound he'd let the actual one fall down – and demons take me if he wasn't telling the truth about _that_ – and my own obsessive-compulsiveness took care of the rest!" She snorted in frustration and made to stomp on the platform, only for Ash to catch her hoof in the air and give her a look. Taking a calming breath, she set her hoof down gently, then nodded at Heart and Soul and said, "Once those two got through their trial, they carved their way through walls and other obstacles until they stumbled upon me and snapped me out of my trance. I shored up the model as best I could and then we went looking for Ash. We found him going hoof-to-hoof with Thamule with Princess Luna caught up in whatever this is." She indicated the engraved stone and the black dome that was currently holding most of Ash's attention.

"And what is this?" Twilight asked, scrutinizing the intricately woven lines at her feet.

"Based on Thamule's word and what I've discerned for myself, this spell is supposed to bring Nightmare Moon to the surface as the permanent personality in Luna's mind," Ash explained, "But between being interrupted partway through and the weave-circle being relocated, dropped, and _stepped on_, I have no idea what it'll actually do if unguided."

"Well then," Dash said, clapping her hooves together, "Why don't you just step back and let us set things back to normal with the Elements?"

"No, please," Ash said, pleading, "I can fix this. I'm pretty sure at least. Just give me a few minutes. I have to do everything in my power to undo Thamule's damage."

"Fine," Twilight said, "but don't forget, we're here if you need us." Ash nodded his thanks and turned his full attention to the spell around Luna.

"Uh, question," Pinkie said, looking at the pile of rubble where the fortress had been, "What happened to Discord?"

"Good question," Gale replied, eyeing the rubble supiciously.

"Perhaps-" Rarity began, but then stopped as a chunk of broken stone flipped over to reveal a lion's paw wriggling out from the rubble. Once it freed itself, it skittered spider-like over the rubble before pushing a few rocks aside to reveal the tufted end of Discord's tail. Taking a grip, the paw tried to pull it free, only to give up after several seconds of not making progress. It then walked over to another rock, shoved it aside, and dug down until it freed a griffon-claw hand. The mis-matched hands then joined forces in pulling at the tail tuft, eventually extracting all of Discord's tail and serpentine torso. Meanwhile, his legs freed themselves from other parts of the ruined fortress and hopped over to join the body. Once it was reassembled, the headless body felt around the neck area, and then snapped, conjuring Discord's head and wings into place.

"Well that was a new experience," the dragonequus said thoughtfully, "broken apart while still stone and then reverting to flesh and blood. _Not_ something I want to repeat. Anyway," he said with a clap and slight bow toward the ponies, "before I get down to the chaos, I feel the need to say thank you."

Heart's eyes snapped open. "Thank you?" she asked, looking up at Discord in disbelief, "_Thank you?!_" She let go of Soul and took flight, staring the chaos spirit right in the eye from a distance. "_What_ could you possibly have to thank us for?"

"For getting rid of that troublesome and rebellious Ash-double," Discord answered jovially, "He was all set to cause me no end of irritation and-"

"Oh _no_," Heart snapped as an aura of ethereal blue flames surrounded her, "Don't you _dare_ try to excuse yourself from that. _You_ made him, _you_ let him run loose, and you _got in our way_ while we were trying to stop him with… with _cold blooded torture!_ You do _not_ get to thank us!"

Discord actually flinched back with raw shock in his face as Heart drew closer to him. Her aura flared brighter as she continued to harangue him, each flare timed with a sharply emphasized word and a wave of power that pushed Discord back and onto the ground by inches. "What's more," she said, "Even before this you have been _harassing_ us with disasters that brought Ponyville to the _brink of desolation_! _Parasprites_ almost ruined the Summer Sun Celebration. Then a _terrible, cruel_ mutation of poison joak, and now the town is under siege by _mind-controlled dogs_ sicced by the evil Ash _you _created. And all through that you were messing with the real Ash's mind, _forcing _him into actions that started most of those disasters. Discord, you are nothing but a _cruel. Heartless. Self-serving. Arrogant __**monster!**_ You do _not_ get to thank us for cleaning up _your_ messes!" She ended less than an inch away from Discord's face, all but invisible inside the huge pony-shaped fireball that was her spirit aura. She glared at the dragonequus in deathly silence as the aura faded away, and then she turned her back on him, hiked her tail up with a dismissive snort, and flew back to the group, who were just as floored as Discord by the show. She landed next to Soul Mage and cast an expectant look at Twilight. "Well, Elements?" she said.

"Oh, uh right," Twilight said, snapping out of her stupor. The others shook off their shock and got into position as Twilight began to link the Elements together.

"Uh," Discord said, eyes darting between the light gathering around Twilight and company and a spot in the air overhead, "I see that I'm not welcome here anymore. Fair enough, I'm gone." He gestured with a hand and a blue-rimmed rip in reality cracked open above the treetops. "Ta-ta suckers," he crowed as he rose into the air.

"Get back here!" Soul shouted, lashing out with a tendril of spirit energy and lassoing Discord around his goat foot. At the same time, Heart linked up with her brother and sent out a spirit lasso of her own that wrapped around Discord's tail and Gale shot him in the chest with a blue gel that crackled with electricity on impact. With a cry that was more surprise than pain, Discord faltered in his flight and was quickly pulled down to earth by Heart and Soul. "Leave this world and we will hunt you down," Soul said, "and if we catch you you'll wish the Elements of Harmony were all you had to look forward to."

"You cocky little…" Discord started to growl, but then he noticed the Elements had reached full charge and the rainbow beam was starting to fly toward him. "No!" he cried, struggling against his restraints, "I was so close! Nooooo!" Heart and Soul released him just before the Harmony blast hit him, giving him just enough time to start curling up into defensive posture of distress before he was fully petrified. The resulting statue was surprisingly balanced and remained on its feet after the rainbow energy dispersed and the Elements released their bearers.

"Did we do it?" Twilight asked hesitantly, "Is he sealed for good this time?"

"I didn't hold back," Pinkie said emphatically, "not even one little teeny-tiny bit."

"Just don't ask me to check," Ash muttered darkly, "I'm not getting within twenty feet of that thing this time."

"He's only about twelve feet or thirteen away from you right now Ash," Soul said with a cheeky smirk. Ash just gave him a sidelong glance while Heart whapped him good-naturedly with her wing. "How's Luna holding up?" Soul asked seriously.

Ash took a small step back from the trapped and tormented princess and pursed his lips. "This may seem odd," he said, "but I'm going to need a bottle or something similar."

* * *

><p>Several hours later, as Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, regent <em>pro tempore<em>, struggled to keep the sun moving smoothly and steadily below the western horizon, the six Element Bearers, four Order-naries, and one weary Princess Luna arrived in Ponyville to find peace, safety, and the beginnings of reconstruction. After comparing notes with the Royal Guardsponies, it was determined that right around the time that Thamule had been destroyed the mind control spell had lifted off the Diamond Dogs who had still been affected. The captive Dogs had been freed immediately to return to their homes, and a short time later a small pack had returned, led by the red-vested one, to offer their skills in repairing the streets as a sign of good faith. Luna approved of the guard's acceptance of the offer and extended an invitation to the lead Dog to come to court to formalize peace between the two species. She had then graciously taken up the invitation to sleep off her ordeal, requiring Twilight and Rarity to carry her to the library after she collapsed in the street. A letter informing Cadance and Canterlot's leadership of Luna's rescue was promptly sent off by Spike.

A celebration was held in Canterlot the next day to honor the Order-naries and Element Bearers for their valor in defending Equestria. Princess Celestia was still too weak to participate, but Pinkie Pie made sure that plenty of party food found its way to the royal suite. The official ceremony to honor the heroes was presided over by Luna and Cadance, who remained in a regency position at the Night Princess's behest.

Out in the antechamber, there was a fair bit of whispered debate over which group should lead out when they were presented. Ashen Blaze argued that as the Element Bearers had not only been the ones to strike Discord down but were Equestria's own chosen they should go first, while Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow argued that Ash's team had done most of the hard work in getting Discord into position to get struck down and thus they deserved the honor. When the call came for them to make their entrance, they reached a compromise. Ashen Blaze and Twilight Sparkle walked side by side at the head of their inter-mingled teams, as if to show that Harmony had room for all who could contribute to the cause. They approached the dais and formed a semi-circle in front of Princess Luna, who stood with proud and regal bearing despite lacking the stature and ethereal mane she normally bore, and Cadance who looked somewhat self-conscious about being there.

"Citizens of Equestria," Princess Luna said in a voice just shy of Royal Canterlot levels, "Today is a grand and glorious one, for we have once again witnessed the ending of a grave threat to our land and our world. Once again, it is thanks to these brave ponies before us that the wicked Discord has been sealed in stone and the disasters visited upon Equestria in his name have ended." Cheers and hoof-stomps rang through the hall, but there was a dampened quality to the enthusiasm. Luna raised her head higher and signaled for silence with her horn and then continued in a more solemn tone, "However, as many of you know, the victory has been bittersweet. Discord's attacks this time have left more lasting scars, especially around the town of Ponyville. My dear sister lies gravely wounded in her room and powerless to fulfill her duties over the daytime. I myself have suffered much and am yet too weary to rule both day and night, and so I have asked Princess Mi Amore Cadenza to remain at my side and assist me until Celestia regains her health. We must look past these sorrows however and look forward to a new and more tranquil night! … And a brighter day after that and, _ahem_, so on." A low chuckle rolled through the audience as Luna blushed slightly. "Our first act," she said, regaining her composure, "Is of course to honor our heroes with medals. Next, we shall personally see to the reconstruction of Ponyville and the relief of all who currently dwell within its boundaries. Afterward, we shall devote ourselves to Celestia's recovery and a return to normalcy. Fillies and Gentlecolts, may I present the Elements of Harmony and the Order-naries, heroes of Equestria!" Renewed cheers echoes through the hall as a velvet-lined box of medals was brought forth and each of the ten ponies had one placed around their neck. "Now," Luna announced once the last medal had been presented, "back to the fun!" Pinkie whooped and raced to be the first out of the room, only to be restrained by Luna's magic. The Princess of the Night lowered her head and said in a low voice to the ten, "Join me in Celestia's chambers after sunset. We have some things still to discuss." She gave Ash a long, meaningful look, and then straightened up and left the hall.

* * *

><p>The mood in Celestia's suite was a far cry from the joyous atmosphere of the presentation hall as Ash, Twilight, and company filed in, still wearing their medals and moving with apprehension. Princess Celestia was a still, white form on the bed, wrapped heavily in bandages that hid her nearly destroyed wing from sight but could do nothing to disguise the stump of her horn. Luna stood by the bedside, stroking her sister's hoof with her own, and Cadance stood a short distance away with Shining Armor by her side. They all looked up as the Element Bearers and Order-naries entered and spread out in a rough line. "Thank you for coming," Luna said, her tone grim as she turned away from the bed toward the little ponies, "As I said earlier, there are matters of great importance we must still discuss. I will not mince words: although Discord is indeed defeated, and is now locked deep below the castle and far away from any idle wanderers, I fear that Equestria is still in a dangerous position. Ashen Blaze, Soul Mage, Gold Heart, Gale, I know you have discovered the means to return to your original world, but I'm afraid I must forbid you from doing so."<p>

"What?" Gale exclaimed, "Why?" Everypony else, save for Celestia and Shining Armor, looked aghast.

"You four have proven to be very valuable as protectors," Luna explained, "and with Celestia bedridden and myself greatly weakened, Equestria is vulnerable. Should the Changelings get word of this, and I have little doubt they might, they could attempt another invasion. Griffon nations might also try to take advantage of our weakness, or perhaps the threat will come from other races."

"You have the Guard though," Soul said, indicating Shining Armor, "pruned and strengthened repeatedly since your return from the moon. Cadance and Shining Armor together have great power in repelling invaders. And, best of all, you have the Elements of Harmony! We're just four ponies of curious origin next to all that."

"An extremely talented spellcrafter," Celestia spoke up, eyes twinkling, "a set of twins who together have the strength to restrain a spirit of chaos, or so I hear, and a maker of interesting and effective weapons. That's what I see."

"This isn't a permanent decree," Luna said, "We only need you to remain a while longer until we are sure Equestria is safe."

"And when will that be?" Ash asked, "Once Celestia's able to get out of bed in a few weeks or so? When she's actually able to resume the throne? Or when you are back to full power again Princess? Do you think you can even keep us here against our will? I can take full control of our means of egress with a word."

"Don't make this difficult Ash," Shining warned. Ash just huffed and eyed the stallion challengingly.

"Waiting for Luna to get her strength back shouldn't be that bad," Twilight said, looking around, "Should it?" Ash bit his lip and looked at the floor and Luna narrowed her eyes.

"I was going to bring this up next anyway," the dark princess said. Her horn glowed and Ash's saddlebags materialized, summoned from where he had left them under safe watch. Luna opened one of the bags and drew out an erlenmeyer flask stoppered with a cork and filled with a black, inky substance that writhed and thrashed against the sides. "Would you kindly explain what this is Ash?" Luna asked.

"You know what it is," Ash answered, "I explained it in the forest yesterday."

"I was only half-conscious at the time," Luna persisted, "and some ponies here weren't with us yesterday."

Everypony looked at Ash expectantly, and he sighed in defeat. "That is Nightmare Moon," he said, and nodded when Celestia, Cadance, and Shining all gasped in fright. "Discord's clone of me was trying to change Luna into Nightmare Moon permanently to serve as either a pawn or co-ruler who could manage the sun and moon until he could figure out how to harness such power himself," he explained, "He was destroyed while the spell was only half-finished, and that combined with the repercussions of my taking control of the spell to halt its progress and transporting the whole weave to another location led to a deviation in the effects. Rather than transposing Luna's personality with the Nightmare's it took that part of Luna's psyche and power and began to separate it, creating two minds instead of one with a… glitch in it. With Discord hovering over us and being worn out from fighting Thamule, there was no chance for me to completely reverse the spell, so I did the next best thing: I removed the Nightmare mind entirely and placed it in that magically-prepared flask. So, Luna is no longer in danger of becoming Nightmare Moon, but the cost was the Nightmare's share of Luna's magic."

"Yes," Luna said, "and I'm arguably weaker than when the Elements of Harmony cleansed my mind and drove the Nightmare into its little corner."

"But your power will return eventually," Ash said emphatically, reaching out to take the flask from Luna, "It's in your nature."

"I'm going out on a limb here," Rainbow said, "but could you, like, put it back so Luna can get her magic back?"

"No," Ash and Celestia said. Ash deferred to the Princess with a nod and she continued, "I would much prefer that my sister's mind remain free of any old corruptions than risk losing her again on a gamble. Mental magic is very dangerous."

"Quite," Ash agreed, still pulling lightly but persistently on the flask as Luna kept her grip on it, "and I happen to have a… well, a bit of a crackpot theory to be honest, but I might have a use of my own for the Nightmare."

"Like what?" Gale asked.

"Ask me again once I've had time to decide if it's actually viable," Ash replied in a dodgy manner. Gale gave him a withering look but didn't press the issue.

"I certainly do not miss the Nightmare's muttering in the back of my mind," Luna said, "Nevertheless, the price makes it all the more vital that we have as many trustworthy defenders in Equestria at this time as possible. Knowing how things stand, do you honestly still wish to leave us?"

Ash moved to reply, but Heart beat him to the punch, giving Luna a sympathetic look and saying, "We understand why you want us to stay Your Highness, but consider where we stand. Up until a few weeks ago we thought our home had been destroyed and all our friends and loved ones were dead. But it turns out it's almost the other way around; Taryn survived and _we're_ the ones who've been presumed dead for nearly five years by all but a few. Five years of separation, loss, and hope have dropped on us all at once."

"I was sealed in the moon for a _thousand_ years Gold Heart," Luna said, "I don't think you can compare."

"Luna," Celestia said gently, "A millennium is a long time, but for beings with lifespans like yours and mine it is perhaps a month by comparison."

"Sister, you would let them go?" Luna asked, "Right when we may need them the most?"

"I would," Celestia answered, "because the threats you imagine are only that at the moment: imagined. I don't think it's fair to withhold certain happiness because of speculative danger. However, you're the one with the most authority right now dear. I'm just an invalid." Her eyes twinkled mischievously as Luna cast her eyes down in thought.

"Very well," she said as she released the flask of Nightmare into Ash's possession, "You have our permission to return home whenever you see fit. We wish you the best of luck on your journey."

"It has been an honor to serve you Princess Luna, Princess Celestia," Ash said, bowing, "If we are welcome, we will visit from time to time, and if there is a need for our help when we're around, we will provide it freely."

"You shall be welcome," Luna replied, "you are all dismissed to your preparations and farewells." The Order-naries and Element Bearers bowed and filed out of the room, beginning to chat in the somber tones of those who must soon part ways.


	32. Epilogue: Farewell Ponyville

_Everypony has something they treasure, something that they will go to great lengths to acquire, improve, and hold on to. Applejack has her farm and family, Rarity has her jewels and connections in the fashion industry, and I have my knowledge. However, nothing is more valuable than friends to a pony who has them. I've covered a lot of ground in the magic of making and maintaining strong friendships, but now I find myself facing a facet of friendship I have never really considered: how to say good bye to ponies who remain your friends but who you have no guarantee of ever seeing again. It has been several days since the Order-naries left to return to their long-lost home-world and I still find it difficult to believe._

_Despite their clear desire to leave, it seems that Ash and the others had as difficult a time letting go of Equestria and we did letting them go. They took a couple days settling accounts in Canterlot, such ending the leases on Ash and Gale's apartments, arranging the discharge of Heart and Soul from the Royal Guard, and finding trustworthy "caretakers" for Gale's patents. As something of a farewell gift, Gale actually provided the formulas and blueprints for the Guard to create their own versions of her Gel Launcher and its specialized ammo. They then spent several days in Ponyville helping with reconstruction and, of course, attending the parties Pinkie Pie put on. Finally, however, Mr. Yu-san Maesi put his hoof down, saying he couldn't "stand one more minute of not having thumbs," and so they loaded up into the _Lirin_ with only their medals and the flask containing the Nightmare as souvenirs of their stay here and they flew away through the portal above Fluttershy's house. Heart had preemptively apologized for the noise disturbing Fluttershy's animals, saying there probably wasn't any way of knowing which of the two portals they'd emerge from when they come back to visit._

_Rarity was distraught, as I suppose she has a right to be considering her feelings toward Ash. She couldn't even stand to be present when the _Lirin_ took off. Hopefully she'll be ok; I hear that before they separated for the last time Ash made Rarity promise not to dwell on him forever, that if she should meet another stallion worthy of her affections that she should give them freely and without a second thought for Ash._

_Visits. We here have to trust that they will return to visit, because there is no other way to stay in touch. Taryn is separated from Equestria by more than just the world of Valden and the connecting portals. A message would have to travel the same way as a pony: over a long time and through many unknown realities where Humans reign and a pony would be changed to fit. That does not sit well with me, but until recently the study of alternate dimensions wasn't even worth considering outside of fiction, and so I have nothing on which to base research into an alternative, faster means of staying in contact with the Order-naries. Not yet anyway._

_I better go now. There are still lots of things around town that need repair, and I'm lending all the help I can._

_It helps keep my mind off how much I miss them._

_-Twilight Sparkle_

* * *

><p>Trixie pulled her caravan wagon through the dark silent night, her downcast eyes focused on the road as she walked. The combination mobile home and stage for her troupe had miraculously survived the Diamond Dog attacks, which along with the bits the troupe had earned in recent days stood out as one of the few blessings the showmare could attribute to Ponyville. The sound of wings followed by hooves impacting the ground ahead of her brought her to a stop and she looked up to see the midnight-blue Princess Luna approaching her.<p>

"What are you doing out at this hour, Great and Powerful Trixie?" the Princess asked.

"I am relieving Ponyville of an additional burden Your Highness," Trixie answered, "They will not admit it, but they have little need for an actress who can barely pull her own weight in restoring damaged buildings while eating up their food. I was hoping to slip away under the cover of night to forestall any more arguments on the matter."

"I see," Luna said gravely, "and what of your companions?"

"Asleep in the wagon," Trixie said, "Except for the sister of Pinkie Pie who has been trying to help out with our finances lately. She was among those insisting we stay."

"Yes," Luna said, "it was through her, indirectly actually – she told Pinkie, who relayed the message to Twilight and Spike – that I was informed you'd be heading this way. Are you aware that I extended a royal offer of assistance to all who dwelled in Ponyville?" Trixie nodded. "At the time I made that decree, _you_ were dwelling in Ponyville."

"I understand what you're offering Princess Luna," Trixie said, "but the Great and Powerful Trixie and her Traveling Thespians don't require charity. We have enough money to last us to Hoofington, and from there we should be able to get out hooves more firmly under us."

"I'm not offering charity Trixie," Luna said, "For you, a friend in need, I am offering sponsorship."

Trixie blinked in surprise, barely comprehending. "C-come again?" she said.

"I am willing to take the risk of linking a talented troupe of performers with the royal name," Luna said with a warm smile, "Canterlot will always have a venue and a willing audience for you, and as you travel you may use my name to attract curious seekers of entertainment. You can go wherever your hearts desire, or avoid certain towns at your whim. All I ask in return is that you do not abuse my name and that you stop by Canterlot to visit and perform for me and my sister every once in a while. Do we have a deal?"

Trixie's mouth had dropped open partway through the proposal, and now she struggled to stay calm and not fall to Luna's feet in tearful thanks. Instead, she put on a mask of consideration and said, "I will need to discuss this with my fellow performers Your Highness, but I suspect they will be eager to accept."

"Wonderful!" Luna crowed, flaring her wings triumphantly, "Make for Canterlot when your decision is finalized and I'll see to… sprucing up that wagon of yours to make it more fitting for Royal Performers." She took to the air and flew back toward Canterlot as Trixie unhitched herself and rushed around to wake her friends up with the good news.

It was a truly beautiful summer night, and the moon was full.


End file.
